Payback
by Rangerhunters
Summary: In the blink of an eye, Stephanie’s world changes for the worst, forcing her to become a woman of determination and not a woman of denial. Repost - written/rewritten by Marilyn
1. Chapter 1

_I first wrote and posted this story almost seven years ago, when I became impatient with Stephanie's undeveloped character, (IMHO). Whether this is your first or second read, I hope you enjoy the story and the revisions I've made to it._

_Thanks,  
__Marilyn_

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 1**

Thin ribbons of steam rose around Stephanie as she eased her body down into the tub. Warm at last. Resting her head on a rolled-up towel she closed her eyes, letting her mind drift while enjoying the warm feeling of the scented bubbles as they caressed around her body. Mental eye roll, that sounds like a stupid TV commercial, but after the day she'd had, her life deserved a little make believe time. Hell, even her eyelashes had frozen to her eyelids during the mangled attempt to take down her latest skip. If it hadn't been for Bobby's help, she'd still be out there freezing her ass off trying to catch what's his name instead of drifting off to sleep surrounded by the water's warmth.

Stephanie frowned, something was niggling her subconscious. She kept her eyes closed and tried to figure out what. How long had she been in the tub? She rubbed the pruned tips of her fingers together; at least thirty minutes. The water was quite a few degrees cooler, but it felt more like a noise that had brought her awake. Just somebody unlocking her door… SHIT!!! Stephanie sat straight up in the tub, sloshing a huge portion of the lukewarm water over the side. She had forgotten to lock the door when she came home.

She saw the gun that was pointed at her head and slunk her nude body down under the cover of the fading bubbles. The gunman was middle aged, slender and had a deep receding hairline. His nose looked like someone had tried to knock it off his face a few times and he was missing the little finger from his left hand. Not a regular in her group of psychos.

"Who the hell are you?" Stephanie tried to hold her voice steady. The man remained quiet. He just sat there on the closed toilet lid pointing his gun at her. Oh man, just the thought of the toilet, the large cup of coffee she'd drank while waiting for her skip and sitting in the cooling bath water started her bladder screaammiinngg!!!

"Um, I need to…" Stephanie pointed at the toilet.

At first, the man did nothing. He continued to smile as he stood, motioning with his gun for her to get out of the tub. "The door stays open. I'll be right outside." He walked out of the room backwards.

Stephanie reached for the towel behind her head; grateful for whatever meager coverage it would provide her. She stepped out of the tub and with out thinking, reached to shut the door.

The man slapped his hand on the door, stopping its closure. "I said the door stays open."

Stephanie wasn't sure if she could pee with the door hanging wide open, knowing that a stranger was standing right outside listening, a stranger pointing a gun at her no less, it was just too embarrassing. Oh well, didn't seem to make a difference to her bladder as she sighed with relief.

Finished, she stood, flushed, washed her hands and grabbed another towel, trying to add some additional coverage for her cold naked body.

The man was standing in the doorway again, still holding the gun. His angle had changed; the gun was now pointed more in the direction of her heart. "Okay, sweet thing, grab some clothes and let's get going."

"Who? Where? Why?" Stephanie's teeth chattered as she asked.

"Later. Now get dressed or you can go that way for all I care, might be interesting," he grinned as he took a step closer to her.

"I'll change," Stephanie inched by him and reached down to pick up the clothes she had discarded earlier. Damn, they still felt cold. This was not the way she had planned to spend her evening. The man stayed in the room and watched as Stephanie tried to dress with one hand while holding the towel up with the other. Difficult task, but she managed.

The man motioned towards the living room with his gun. Together they walked into the living room. He picked her coat up off the floor where she had dropped it and threw it at her. He used his gun to point at her boots.

Stephanie caught her coat with one hand and slid her arms inside, then shoved her feet down inside her boots. Her gloves were caught inside the sleeves and fell to the floor. She bent down to pick them up.

"Careful, sweet thing. Stand up real slow with your hands out to your side." His tone carried none of the smile that was still stretched across his face.

"I'm sure that boyfriend of yours has taught you a thing or two."

Yeah right, if this guy knew how pathetic her skills were, he'd put away his gun! Stephanie picked up her gloves and did just as she was told.

"Turn around, slow, lower your arms and walk out the door." The man closed the door then grabbed her upper arm, pulling her in tight, the gun snug between her ribs. They stood in silence as they waited for the elevator.

"Can I at least tie my boots?" she asked. She had stumbled and tripped the full length of the hallway.

"Do it in the car," he said as he pushed her towards the door.

When the elevator doors opened, Mrs. Bestler was doing her usual impersonation of an elevator operator. "What floor please?" The man looked at her in total bewilderment.

"Where are you taking me and why?" Stephanie asked, hoping in his moment of confusion he might answer.

"Ground floor," he said to Mrs. Bestler.

Mrs. Bestler looked at Stephanie and then at the man. "What's your new boyfriend's name?"

Stephanie looked at the man, not sure what to say.

The man looked at Mrs. Bestler. "I'm not her boyfriend, just a friend of Joe's." The elevator doors slid open.

"Come on, sweet thing, we've got a long drive ahead of us." The man sped up his stride. The boot's untied laces made it hard for Stephanie to stay upright as he pulled her along. "Move it faster, sweet thing, I hate this cold weather."

"What's this all about?" Stephanie asked him again and then snapped her mouth closed as she watched a black SUV pull into the parking lot. She tried to slow her steps down. The vehicle crept forward as if looking for a parking place while keeping both Stephanie and the man encircled in its bright halogen headlights. The SUV slowed to a rolling stop and the man pulled her in closer.

Stephanie shielded her eyes against the headlight's brightness, trying to see if it was Ranger or if Bobby had come back. The silence around them grew quieter. She felt the tension rising. Whichever man it was, all hell was about to break loose.

As the thought crossed her mind, the Bronco's headlights switched to high beam and then back to low. High, low, high, low… flickering in rapidness that left Stephanie's vision blackened as if the world's biggest flashbulb had gone off in her face.

The man started to raise his arm to cover his eyes and then stopped. Instead, he aimed his gun at the driver's side of the car and pulled her in front of him.

From her vantage point, Stephanie saw two guns appear from inside the SUV, muzzles steadied against the window's frame. She knew the instant the triggers were pulled and relaxed her knees, hoping to sink down out of the range of fire. At least that's what she was hoping. When the bullets found their target in the man's chest behind her, he, too, sunk to the ground.

Tank erupted out of the passenger's side of the SUV with his gun drawn. He kicked the man's discarded gun away and went to check on Stephanie. "You okay, Bombshell?" Tank asked as he lifted her up without taking his eyes off the man's prone body.

"Fine," she said, trying to remember the basic fundamentals of staying up. "You guys okay?" She asked Tank as she looked around for the other occupant of the SUV.

"I'm fine." Tank answered with a grin. He turned to look behind him. "Ric?" Tank called to the emptiness behind him, and then released the support he'd been giving to Stephanie and ran back to the car. He held his breath when he saw the dark image of Ranger's body slumped back in the passenger's seat.

"Shit," Tank whispered, yanking open the door and reaching for his cell phone at the same time. He pressed 911 and requested an ambulance, spitting out answers to their questions.

Stephanie struggled to get back up, but her feet kept tripping up in her boots. Frustrated and scared, she pulled them off and started running barefoot. Tank shut the door as she came alongside.

"Open the door! We have to help him!" Stephanie tried to shove Tank away from the door.

"Stephanie, no," Tank said as he restrained her with one hand, still holding the phone with the other.

She used both hands to shove against Tank's chest to move him out of the way. "Damn it, Tank, get the fuck out of my way! What's wrong with you?" Stephanie felt Tank's body remain planted despite her efforts to move him. "We have to help him!"

The wail of multiple sirens could be heard in the background.

Dropping his phone, Tank encircled her in his arms and moved her away from the SUV. He watched as the ambulance pulled into the parking lot behind the Bronco and held her close to his chest.

Two paramedics were already out and moving towards the injured and the dead when three police cars pulled into the parking lot. The quietness of the little wonderland in her parking lot existed no more.


	2. Chapter 2

PAYBACK

Chapter 2

She wasn't sure if it was night or if a new day had arrived, but from the stiffness of her body and her pounding headache, Stephanie knew several hours had passed. Hours of answering the same damn questions, asked by the same damn police officers. She had been sitting in the small drab questioning room at the police station ever since the police had brought her here after the shooting. She had screamed, threatened, cried and begged for them to let her go with Ranger to the hospital.

Stephanie had been brought to the station in the backseat of one patrol car; Tank had been brought in a separate one. Her guess was he was sitting in another drab little room down the hall.

"Steph, would you like a blanket?" Stephanie hadn't realized that she was shaking and that her teeth were chattering. She looked up into the sad eyes of her lifelong friend, Eddie Gazzara, and shook her head no. They had been left alone for the past few minutes. Stephanie's interrogator, Detective Morris, had made his excuses before leaving to answer a phone call.

"Eddie, please find out how Ranger is doing. Please?" Tears were sliding down her cheeks as her numb lips tried to form the words.

"No news yet, Steph," Eddie had to look down as he answered his friend's pleading question. What did the suits think they'd gain by keeping her here for so long? Whatever Steph had fallen into this time was some serious shit. The two friends sat across from each other as the silence in the room grew heavy. The distance between them felt immeasurable. Eddie cursing his superiors in silence, Stephanie saying a quiet prayer for the man she loved and still the minutes ticked by.

"Come on, man, answer our questions and then you can go," Detective Morris was playing the part of the 'bad' cop. He watched the large man's dark face and knew that his opponent was far better trained in this type of information gathering than he was himself. No wonder his street name was Tank. Not only was he built like one, but his refusal to answer any more of their questions made him as formidable as one, too. Pierre "Tank" Coleman was Ricardo Carlos Manoso's constant cohort, the men guarded each other's backs; why was he so reluctant to give them any information?

"Look, I've told you everything that went on," Tank spoke quietly but with an undercurrent of irritation. "I think it's time you started answering some of my questions, like what's this all about?"

"Maybe we can answer each other's questions," Joe Morelli spoke from the doorway. "Tank," Joe nodded his hello.

"Shit," Tank didn't hide the disgust in his voice. "Now I understand all the bullshit hoop jumping."

Joe's face was total hard-nosed cop. He looked at Tank and then turned his head to look at Detective Morris and the uniformed police officer that was in the room. Without speaking, Joe dismissed them with a tilt of his head towards the door. As the door closed, Joe pulled out a chair opposite Tank and reversed its direction. Joe bent his long legs and sat facing Tank, draping his arms with a practiced casualness over the back of the chair. For the next few moments, each man evaluated the other, each careful not to give away any emotion, each seeking a weakness in the other.

"Steph?" Tank asked first.

"Down the hall," Joe answered.

"Ric?" Tank asked.

"Hospital," Joe answered. He watched the muscles in Tank's jaw clinch and admired the internal strength it took for the big man not to reach across the table.

Joe lowered his head, closed his eyes and released a deep breath. "Here's the bottom line. I've been working undercover for the past six months, deep undercover. Shit, I almost forgot who I was," Joe's eyes reflected his weariness and fatigue.

"Look, Morelli, I think you're a good cop, but right now I don't give a shit about the past six months of your life. I care about two people right now, Stephanie and Ric," Tank said and watched as a very slight reaction of hurt flicked across Morelli's eyes.

"The man that Ranger killed tonight was Willy 'The Worm' Williams," Joe's voice was clipped and professional. He waited for Tank's reaction. Tank remained quiet. "I'm going to assume that you know about The Worm's connection to organized crime." Joe watched Tank dip his head in an affirmative motion.

"Somehow, someway, my cover was blown. The way it's looking now is that their information about Stephanie and me being together was off." Tank watched as Joe swallowed hard. "The Worm was sent after her with the hope of getting to me."

Tank stared at Joe without bothering to hide his anger, "I can't believe that you're still able to fuck up her life."

"Believe me, as much as it killed me to let her go, I'd rather be the one standing back and watching her with another man than to be the man who caused her to be in harm's way," Joe's voice cracked with emotion.

Tank saw the pain in Joe's face. "She's in pain right now."

Joe stared at Tank. "She may be in pain, but at least she's alive and safe." The standoff had begun.

Stephanie raised her head from the pillow she'd made of her folded arms. Enough was enough. She stood and walked towards the door. Eddie jumped up out of his stupor and reached across the table to grab her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Now thinking about it, I'm leaving and going to the hospital unless you plan on charging me with a crime, I'm out of here," Stephanie pulled her arm out of Eddie's grasp and headed for the door. Two steps before reaching the door, it opened and she came face to face with Joe Morelli. Shit.

"Have a seat, Cupcake," Joe closed the door behind him. "Need you to answer a couple of questions."

Stephanie looked at Joe, and it was Joe the cop. His appearance meant one thing; she was in deep shit and wouldn't be getting out of her little 'cell' anytime soon. Gathering her remaining strength, Stephanie managed to hold it together, even though her body warred within itself. Indecision over how to react raged as she stood facing Joe. Somehow maturity never seemed to occur at a convenient time or place.

Her mind wanted to be the weak person Joe always managed to expect, but inside the stronger Stephanie wanted to push past Joe and go to Ranger's side. Stephanie stood still and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt Joe's hand touch on her shoulder.

"Sit down, Cupcake; I need to ask you some questions." Joe's voice was business-like.

Stephanie opened her eyes and looked at him. He was so handsome, so familiar, and so comfortable. She shook her head. "Fuck you, Morelli, I'm leaving and I'm going to the hospital. Unless you're going to charge me with something, I'm out of here. Detective Morris has all the answers I have and right now, Ranger needs me." Stephanie took one step to the left and then walked around Joe.

Resting her hand on the doorknob, she stopped. "I do have one question to ask you, Joe. Somehow I have a feeling this is connected to you and I want to know how, but right now I need to be with Ranger." Stephanie opened the door and walked out into the hall, closing the door behind her. Tank was waiting for her and together they left the station.

Breaking every traffic law written, Tank had them at the hospital in less than five minutes. Pushing inside the hospital, Tank pulled Stephanie down the hall. It was obvious he knew where he was going and Stephanie struggled to keep up with his long strides. Without warning, Tank stopped dead in his tracks. Bobby and Lester were easy to spot. Both men were sitting slumped forward with their hands clasped together and their heads hanging down. Bobby looked up and Stephanie saw tears in his eyes. The numbness returned to her body.


	3. Chapter 3

****

PAYBACK

Chapter 3

For the past three weeks, paralyzed and empty best described the way Stephanie felt about life. Sitting in Ranger's bedroom, she watched the rain as it splattered against the windowpane. The rain fell faster and heavier, ending the race of the individual drops as the precipitation raced down the windowpane. Stephanie was hoping the raindrops would lull her into the silent haven of sleep, but sleep never arrived, just the cramped paralysis from sitting too long.

"Stephanie." Tank walked into the room and waited for her to look at him, "It's time to leave for the doctor's office, Steph. You ready?"

Few things in life scared him anymore, but the changes that Stephanie had gone through since her failed suicide attempt was on top of his list. It had been three weeks since he found her bleeding to death in the tub at her apartment; if he'd been one minute later getting there, she would have died. Since being released from the hospital, she refused to leave Ranger's bedroom, she wouldn't talk to anyone, shit, and she wouldn't even eat anymore. She'd lost so much weight that her jeans rested low on what was left of her hips. If things didn't change soon, the doctor would recommend she'd be readmitted to the hospital.

Without a look or a word, Stephanie stood, walked to the closet, took Ranger's black leather jacket out and slipped it on.

"Stephanie, you know the doctor asked that you wear your own coat when you come to see her."

Defying her doctor was the one emotional reaction Stephanie had shown on the outside during the last three weeks. And with each visit it got worse.

Tank closed his eyes. Damn, this was one of the hardest things he had ever been forced to do. "Stephanie," Tank's voice was loud, firm and parental.

Stephanie stopped and turned to face him. "Fuck her and fuck you." She turned away and left him standing in the room.

"I'm gonna need fucking counseling after this shit is over." Tank muttered under his breath.

Tank started his cherry red Porsche and tore out of the driveway, relishing the engine's power; it was the single good thing about Stephanie's changes. She refused to ride in any of Ranger's black cars.

They rode in silence as he drove the car well above the city's speed limit. Tank pulled up in front of the medical building, stopped and waited for Stephanie to get out of the car. "Steph, don't do this. Just these once… please, cooperate."

Stephanie opened the car door, after getting out she leaned back down inside the car to look at Tank, raindrops falling on her uncovered head. "Like I said, fuck you." She slammed the door and walked through the door of the building.

She heard the screeching of tires as the door closed behind her. She paused before pressing the button for the elevator. It would be so easy to walk out the back door and just keep on going. God, she longed to just walk away from everything, the pain, the anger, the hurt, the loneliness, and the grief. What she couldn't walk away from were the memories. Tank would be coming into the building as soon as he parked the car. She wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed the button.

* * *

"Why do you think you're so angry, Stephanie?" Dr. Matthews asked.

Stephanie was standing with her back to the doctor, staring out the window. There wasn't anything in particular to look at; it was her way of defying the doctor.

"Stephanie?"

Stephanie turned and faced Dr. Matthews. "Why do I think I'm angry?" Stephanie mocked. "Hell, I can't imagine." She grabbed the jacket and started towards the door.

"Stephanie," the sharpness of Dr. Matthews' voice halted her steps. "You know the rules of our agreement. You show up for your appointments and participate or you'll be readmitted to the hospital."

Stephanie fought not to run her fingers over the fresh scar on her femoral artery on the inside of her upper thigh. Why hadn't God let her die that night? Failing at suicide was just another one of life's cruel jokes. When death had thrown her back into life, she had vowed never to be weak again. Never again would she allow a personal weakness to limit her.

"Why are you choosing to be weak when you could be strong?" Dr. Matthews's asked.

The question weakened Stephanie's legs and she struggled to stay upright. She grabbed hold of the doorknob. She wasn't sure if the doctor had said that or if she had imagined it. Was she choosing to be weak? And if she were, would she be too afraid to carry out her plan?

She lost her attempt to remain standing and fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Stephanie felt Tank's strength lift her up off the floor and place her crumpled body on the couch. Stephanie heard the low tones of Tank and Dr. Matthews talking. She would bet anything that the doctor wanted to admit her to the hospital again. No way could she let that happen. She knew Dr. Matthews had been right about one thing and that was her current weakness was something she had chosen, but no more.

* * *

Stephanie watched as Tank angled his large body with unbelievable grace and ease into the driver's seat. She took a deep breath; it was time to start being strong. "Tank." Her voice sounded dry. She cleared her throat and started over. "I want to apologize." She looked up to see Tank looking at her with a scrutinizing look. "The way I've treated you and the guys the last few weeks has been terrible and all you've tried to help. Please forgive me." She kept her eyes locked on his. Might as well start practicing her fearless look on someone and Tank would be a hard person to stare down, "Can you forgive me?"

Even inside the small confines of the Porsche, Tank was able to reach over without any problem to give her a hug, "Shit, Steph, you know we love you." Leaning out of the hug, Tank looked down into her face. "Of course I can forgive you."

For one brief moment, Stephanie almost allowed herself to revert back into her old habit of letting others direct her life. She waited a minute before continuing, "Thanks, it really means a lot to me and I have a favor to ask."

Tank's look of relief changed back to one of questioning. "What's that, Steph?" He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this, but if she was talking again, he was willing to listen.

"I'd like to start working out again," she replied and waited for his answer.

"Why the change, Steph? Why now?" The suspicion etched on his face was easy for her to see.

"It was something Dr. Matthews asked me today. She asked me why I was choosing to remain weak when I could be strong. My weakness got Ranger killed, Tank. I don't want to be weak anymore. For the rest of my life, I never want to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt because of a personal weakness I could have changed."

Tank felt a moment of relief, but he still wasn't comfortable with the rapid change in her, "I'll check with Dr. Matthews and if she says it's okay, we can start tomorrow at 5:30 a.m., okay?"

"I'll be ready." Stephanie smiled.

* * *

Stephanie had worked hard over the past four weeks; she tried to be the model student and patient. Every morning at 5:30, she jogged with one of the guys. Tank helped her with hand-to-hand combat, Bobby helped her with shooting, and Lester helped her with building up her muscle strength. At the end of the day, she felt stronger, but her nights were still filled with agony and loneliness.

During her appointments with Dr. Matthews, Stephanie participated and answered all of the doctor's questions. Stephanie felt the physical results of her hard work, but she doubted if her mental self would ever recover. She was also working hard on another agenda, one that only she and a friend shared and one that was ready to be put into action.

* * *

"Ready to go, Steph?" Tank called from the bottom of the stairs. "Move it or we'll be late."

"Coming," Stephanie called. She took one final look around the room. She checked to make sure her laptop and cell phone were out of immediate sight, hidden under her mattress. The laptop had been wiped clean except for the note.

"I guess this is it," she whispered to herself.

Tank slid the car up to the curb in front of the medical building. Stephanie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she hopped out of the Porsche. She knew she'd have approximately seven minutes before Tank discovered she was gone, so she hurried through the building's lobby and out the back door as quick as she could without running, keeping her head down.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean she never showed up?" Tank was yelling, even though he knew better. "Does this building have security cameras?"

"Of course we do," Dr. Matthews shot back.

"Who's in charge of your security?" Tank was so angry he wanted to hit something. "I want to talk to them right now."

Dr. Matthews led him out of her office and down the hall. After a quick introduction and explanation of why they needed to see the security tapes for the last hour, the security guard on duty rewound the tape and played it for them. Simultaneous video frames flashed up on the main screen, showing all four sides of the building. One frame of the front of the building showed Stephanie getting out of the car, less than a minute later another frame showed Stephanie walking out the back of the building, her head down.

Alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 4**

Tank stared at the security tape. He had watched it at least twenty times and each time his stomach clenched tighter. Where in the hell had she disappeared? Lester and Bobby had canvassed the neighborhoods around the medical building within twelve minutes of discovering Stephanie's disappearance. No one had seen her or noticed an unusual car parked in the area. He had every available RangeMan employee out looking for her.

"Morelli is here," the downstairs security guard's voice sounded over the intercom. Tank slumped back in the large leather chair behind Ranger's desk. Shit, this was going to be the ultimate bad scene.

"Thanks," Tank answered back. "Send him up."

Tank watched Morelli on the security screen while he stood up from the desk and walked over to a heavy wooden cabinet and opened one side of was a well-stocked bar and he helped himself to a healthy couple of fingers of scotch. He needed something to brace himself for this meeting. Hell, if he were telling Ranger this little story, at least he could beat the shit out of him if he had to. But since Morelli was a cop, it meant hands off; he'd just have to sit and take the guy's shit before they could get down to business. Tank poured another drink and carried it with him as he sank down into his chair. He heard Morelli's footsteps coming down the hallway and took the first sip of his second drink as Morelli walked in.

"Mind if I join you?" Joe said as he made his way toward the bar.

"Help yourself," Tank's reply came as he savored the smoothness of the scotch on his tongue.

"Despite the excellent scotch, I know this isn't a social visit. Want to tell me what this is all about or are you going to offer me a job now that your boss is gone?" Joe responded with a sarcastic tone as he swirled the golden liquor.

"Ranger's not dead," Tank didn't bother to even check Morelli's face. He knew it would be contorted with multiple emotions, the main one being disbelief, at least for the first couple of seconds. Tank threw the rest of his drink back, set the glass down on the desk, and steeled himself for the second emotion, which would be a full-blow-all-out-piss-off Italian eruption. Once that was over, maybe they could start their 'discussion'.

"Ranger's not dead! You mean that son of a bitch put Stephanie through all kinds of hell for what? A joke? A mission? An escape?" Joe finished his drink, turned and threw the empty glass against the wall. As the sound of breaking glass filled the room, he turned to leave.

"Sit down, Morelli." Tank still didn't lift his head.

Morelli didn't hesitate in his departure.

"Stephanie's missing." Tank told him.

Morelli stopped. Of all the things Tank could have said, that was the one thing that could make him stay. "What the fuck do you mean Stephanie is missing?" Morelli turned to face the large man. "I thought the mighty ex-Rangers were so good they could protect God."

"This isn't about us, Morelli. It's about Stephanie." Tank swallowed the anger that was rising in his voice. "I… we need your help." Tank raised his head and looked at the man who was waiting for a better explanation than the one he had to give.

"I took her to her appointment with Dr. Matthews. I went to park the car as usual; she walked out the back door instead of going up to the doctor's office."

"Alone?" Morelli asked.

"Yeah," Tank answered. "We've covered the neighborhoods and the surrounding area without any success. No one remembers seeing anything or anyone fitting her description."

"This is just fucking fantastic." Morelli walked back to the chair and flopped down in it. "First the all-mighty Ricardo Carlos Manoso sweeps her off her feet, tells her she can do anything she wants to do." Morelli's laugh was harsh. "Then he gets 'killed' and she falls into a deep depression and tries to kill herself."

Tank didn't direct his look at Morelli; instead, he watched the man's clenched fists.

"Now you tell me that his death was a hoax and Stephanie is missing. Shit, walking away from you and this whole bunch of sickos is the smartest thing Stephanie has ever done," Morelli slumped back down in the chair and let his head drop back with his eyes closed.

"You finished?" Tank asked.

"Fuck you." Morelli couldn't think of a more fitting thing to say.

"This is a copy of the security tape to all the entrances of the medical building," Tank pressed on. "As you can see, Steph enters the front door and then here in a frame of the back door…."

"Where in the hell is Manoso?" Morelli stared at Tank with a face that showed no emotion. "Why isn't the son of a bitch here looking for the woman he's supposed to be so in _love _with?" Bitterness covered his words. "Why isn't he here so I could have the satisfaction of really killing his sorry ass?"

"Do you want to fight about Ranger or do you want to help us find Stephanie?" Tank wasn't sure he was winning Morelli over to their side. "Steph is my main concern now. I'll deal with Ranger and his piss-poor decisions later." Tank remained quiet as he watched Joe wrestle with his thoughts.

"Fine… I'm in, but only because I want Stephanie back and that shit-full excuse for a human being that started all this was really after me." Morelli took a deep breath. "Start from the beginning and I mean from the very beginning. Start with Ranger."

The look in Morelli's eyes left no doubt he expected Tank to do just that. Tank set his glass down on the desk and then sat quiet for a minute.

"Ranger was notified that a small cell of South American guerrillas that he had infiltrated last year had arrived in New York. They wanted him to try and reconnect with them, find out why they were here. At the last minute, he was notified that his cover had been exposed and to be careful, underground careful, for a few days until they could arrest the 'visitors' on some type of charge that would get them deported." Tank paused to see how Morelli was taking the information so far.

"Who's 'they'?" Morelli asked.

Shifting his body, Tank sat back in his chair and looked at him, "Government agency." Morelli's stare turned even colder as he waited for a better answer. "A branch so far out on the government's limb that it doesn't even have initials."

Morelli forced a mouthful of air out between tight lips. "Go on."

"Ranger wasn't even supposed to tell Stephanie, let alone see her before he left." Tank focused on Morelli's face. "He didn't want to just leave town without telling her." He waited, making sure that the implied meaning hit its mark. When Morelli blinked first, Tank knew that his remark had hit home.

"When we pulled up into the parking lot, we saw Stephanie and an unknown walking toward us." Shifting in his seat again, Tank leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. "We approached them, slow, keeping them in the headlights. We stopped a few feet in front of them and lowered the windows to fire if necessary. As soon as Steph saw the guy raise his gun she ducked. Shots were exchanged."

Tank's thoughts drifted back to that night. Damn, they should have been smarter.

"Still doesn't explain Ranger's _unnatural_ death."

"We were operating under the assumption that the man had come after Stephanie because of Ranger, based on the report we had received earlier that night. Ranger almost lost it when he saw the look of fear on Stephanie's face. After the gunfire stopped, he made a snap decision to fake his death hoping that whatever the situation with the South American guerrillas was could be wrapped up and that Steph would be taken out of the equation."

"At first I thought he'd been shot, but when I came around to his side of the vehicle and opened the door he ordered me to keep Steph back and said he was going to play dead." Now it was Tank's turn to release a heavy sigh. "It wasn't until after everything was set in motion and she and I were at the police station that I learned it was you that the guy was after and not Ranger. By then, he was already underground."

"So why doesn't boy wonder resurface?" Morelli's voice was filled with disdain.

"Unforeseen complications. The bad guys went undercover, too. We haven't spoken since that night; he knows nothing about any of this or about Steph." Tank rubbed his eyes. "This was supposed to take twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Shit, talk about a total clusterfuck. I just got notification that he should be back tomorrow night."

"Why didn't you tell Steph the truth after you found out?" For the first time since he'd entered the room, Morelli's voice took on a gentle tone.

"I wanted to, but that's when more unforeseen complications started setting in," Tank continued. "Her depression came on so quick; I told Dr. Matthews the truth and asked her advice. She said that given Stephanie's depressed state it would be more harmful for Steph to hear the truth than to work her way through her problems. Dr. Matthews said that, in her opinion, Stephanie's emotional breakdown was caused more by the anger she felt towards herself than with Ranger's death. She said that Stephanie feels everything happened because she's weak and if she is to face the truth about why she's so angry, she needs to stay at her current emotional level. Just remember, that's not my personal opinion. I think she should have been told."

Morelli allowed his gaze to drift out the window as he sat thinking about everything Tank had said. Shit, this was the biggest mess anyone could ever imagine. Before he could respond Tank's cell phone rang.

"Talk."

"Found someone who thinks they might have seen a woman fitting Stephanie's description getting into a yellow VW," Bobby relayed the information.

"Great, that should be easy enough to find." Tank felt hopeful for the first time that night. "Anything else?"

"Afraid so, the yellow VW was found in a grocery parking lot a couple of blocks away. It belongs to one of the employees. She said that she loaned it to her neighbor a couple of days ago and before you ask, yes, we checked, neither the owner of the car nor the neighbor know Stephanie," Bobby added.

Tank disconnected the call and closed his eyes. The day had just gotten worse.

The next couple of hours were spent in bringing Morelli up to speed and giving him all the information, as meager as it was, that they had gathered so far and watching the security tape several more times.

Morelli stood to leave. "One thing."

"What's that?"

"I want first crack at kicking Ranger's ass when he _resurrects_," Morelli said.

Tank stood and walked around the desk, stopping in front of Morelli. "Sorry, the best I can promise you is second crack if there's anything left of his ass. I get first crack at him. I'm the one who found Stephanie that night and I'm the one who has watched her pain destroy a little more of her every day."

"Explain." Just that one soft-spoken word caused both men to turn in unison in the direction that it had come from.


	5. Chapter 5

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 5**

Stephanie parked the VW in the back of the grocery store's parking lot. Knowing that the store's security camera would catch her image on tape, she didn't try to avoid being seen; instead she snagged a discarded cart and pushed it in front of her as she entered the store. She was amazed at how calm she felt. Walking down the first aisle she came to, Stephanie selected a few random items and dropped them into the cart. When she reached the back of the store, she moved the cart out of the way of other shoppers as she entered the ladies restroom.

As promised, she found a medium size tote bag hooked on the back of the door of the handicapped stall. Reaching inside she found a short blond wig and a yellow nylon jacket.

Standing at the sink, she looked at her new look in the mirror, making sure that all of her long hair was tucked up underneath the wig. Keeping her leather jacket on, she covered it with the bright yellow one. Satisfied that her appearance was different enough, she looped the tote bag over her shoulder and walked back out into the store. She left the cart and headed for the front of the store picking up two boxes of pop tarts and a box of cereal. Paying for the items, Stephanie asked that they be put in a paper bag. Holding the bag against her chest, she lowered her head just a little as she walked back out of the store.

He recognized her as soon as she walked out of the store. He waited, watching as she walked through the parking lot and on down the street. When she reached the bus stop, he started the van. Easing the van out into traffic, he slowed down at the bus stop so that she could climb in.

"Problems?" He didn't bother to look at her, but applied all of his attention to pulling away from the curb and entering the flow of afternoon traffic.

"None," she replied. "The car has been returned to its owner, unharmed, very nice of your friend to borrow it for us." Stephanie took a closer look at the inside of the van. "Nice little set-up you have here. Little home on wheels."

"Comes in handy when you don't want to be found and you need to keep working. Lucky for you my mechanic was able to finish the trailer so you could bring the Harley along."

"Okay if I take a nap?" Stephanie asked as she undid her seatbelt and began making her way into the back of the converted van.

"Be my guest. We'll talk when we reach Richmond." Stopping for the traffic light, he afforded himself his first glance at his passenger as she pulled the wig off. He hesitated on making a comment about the wildness of her hair, then the light changed and he pressed down on the accelerator.

Stephanie stripped off both jackets, folded them and used the small mound as a makeshift pillow. Thoughts were whirling through her mind. Would she be successful in her plan? Would she make it through without any flashbacks of loving Ranger? She sighed; loving Ranger seemed like a lifetime ago. Yet she could remember the feel of his hands on her skin, the pressure of his lips on hers as he kissed her and the musky smell that lingered after their lovemaking.

Never in her life had a man marked her with such loving imprints. Imprints so lasting they might as well have been tattooed on her body and soul. "Stop it!" She mumbled out loud as she sat up and ran her shaking fingers through her tangled hair. "Push those thoughts out of your mind. Concentrate on what you're doing." Letting her hands drop down into her lap, she sat back on the small sofa and released a long heavy sigh. "Why?" she whispered. Because you're a weak person, Stephanie Plum, weak and irresponsible, she berated herself. "SHIT!" She shouted into the empty air around her.

"You okay?" Randy thanked the traffic Gods that no one else was close when she'd screamed, or he would have rear-ended somebody for sure.

"Sorry," Stephanie muttered. "You want me to drive?"

"Ahh, no, I'm fine for now, maybe later." His hands gripped the steering wheel, his movements reflecting his nervousness. Damn, he thought. She was going to have to get control of herself for their plan to work. "Hungry?" he asked.

"No." She caught the worried expression on his face. "Don't worry, I'll keep it together." She reclined across the small sofa; she needed to sleep, to escape. If she didn't, she stood to lose her only ally.

* * *

"Explain?" Morelli's voice was low and filled with an unnatural calmness as he turned to face Ranger. "You want us to explain to you? You lousy son of a bitch…" Morelli's motions faulted as he saw Ranger brace himself. "She tried to kill herself. She sliced her leg open because of you."

"Where is she, Tank?"

"She's gone," Tank's fist connected with Ranger's face, knocking him flat on his back.

* * *

Stephanie came awake with a sudden jerk. "Where are we?" she asked, as she made her way forward in the van.

"We're about an hour outside of Richmond. Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. Turning her head she stared at her reflection on the side window as darkness pressed on the other side. Stephanie tried to convince herself that the nervousness she felt was from the lack of proper sleep and eating habits. Releasing an inaudible laugh, she smiled, thinking that she had never had proper sleeping or eating habits, so why would that make a difference now?

Deep inside she knew there was only one thing that would bring her out of the darkness she had fallen into: payback. Payback for Ranger's death, a debt she intended to pay with her life if need be.

"Steph?"

His voice centered her thoughts back to the present and she turned to look at him.

"Do you want to stop and get something to eat and then find a hotel?"

"A hotel? I thought the whole reason for using your van was so we didn't have to check into a hotel! You know, less chance of being traced," Stephanie sounded scared.

"I didn't say we were going to check into the hotel. The best place to hide the van for the night is in the parking lot of a hotel. It blends in. Calm down." He was starting to worry about her ability to deal with the details of the plan. "So, do you have any special type of food you'd like tonight?"

"No," she sighed. "Whatever is close to the hotel we stay at and I promise to get a grip. I won't screw this up." She took another deep breath. "Thanks again for all the help you've given me. I would never have gotten this far without you. Ranger's bloodhounds would have dragged me back before I got to the end of the driveway if I had tried this on my own. I owe you big."

Checking his side mirrors, he signaled for a right turn and then pulled into the parking lot of a hotel that was connected to a family style restaurant.

"Perfect." Randy smiled as he parked the van, shut off the engine and the headlights. Looking at her profile, he braved the subject of going out into public. "Umm, you want to freshen up so we can go to dinner?"

Stephanie pulled the passenger's visor down and checked her appearance in the mirror. Seeing all the imaginative directions her hair was pointing she laughed. "Good idea."

He thought it best to avoid making any kind of comeback and watched in amazement as Stephanie ran her fingers through the knotted curls; taming them into a presentable ponytail.

"Better?" she asked.

They walked side by side across the parking lot and entered the restaurant, drawing curious glances as they were shown to their table.

Stephanie felt her anger rising again. "What is wrong with everyone? They act like we're from a different planet."

"Ignore them," he said with a remarkable tone of acceptance.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the old woman at the next table who was staring at them without reservation.

"Steph, let it go. If you pay attention to them, they'll remember us. We'll be easier to trace."

Turning away from the old woman Stephanie focused her attention on the menu that the waitress had left on the table. "Fine, but I still don't know how you can be so mature about it."

"Easy, I like who I am. I don't have a problem with it."

Looking at him, Stephanie felt a sense of shame. "I wish I liked myself."

"If you intend to act this way, this little operation is over. Is that what you want, do you want me to take you back?"

Stephanie raised her head and looked at the man speaking to her. "No."

"Fine, then prove it by getting your shit together and keeping it together. Okay?"

They stared at each other and then she nodded yes.

"Great, now decide what you want to order. I'm hungry and we've got work to do tonight."

They gave the waitress their orders and when the food was served, they concentrated on finishing their meals instead of talking. He was right, they had work to do and the sooner they got started the better.

* * *

Bobby followed Lester into Ranger's office. Two steps through the doorway, he ran into Lester's solid back. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He shoved Lester out of the way. Seeing the look on Lester's face, Bobby reached for his gun as he turned. "Holy shit!" he whispered and then couldn't think of anything else to say as he holstered his gun.

For several minutes, everyone just stared at everyone else.

"Gentlemen," Ranger watched both men, wondering which one would be the first to come at him. His bet was Lester. He was right.

It took Lester one running step to cross the room and then he vaulted over the desk as he leaped at Ranger.

Ranger attempted to soften Lester's attack by absorbing the motion and weight of the other man as they fell to the floor.

As Lester drew his clenched fist back to deliver his first blow, Bobby rushed to pull them apart.

"Are you two just gonna watch?" Bobby shouted to Tank and Morelli. For his efforts, Bobby received a solid hit on his jaw. He released his hold and stepped back. "Fine, you two want to kill each other, go at it." Turning his back to them, he walked over to the bar; placing several small ice cubes inside one of the cloth napkins and then placed the ice against his jaw. "Guess it is safer to watch."

* * *

Stephanie rolled her neck, trying to release some of the built-up tension. "So the one thing we do know is that Anthony Baratoli, aka 'The Bear' is due in Miami in three weeks for his daughter's wedding. Other than that, he seems to be drifting from place to place right now," she rolled her neck again.

"Seems he's doesn't feel too safe staying in one place because of the Feds' interest in him. Interest brought on by one Joe Morelli."

"Okay, so we have a strong possibility of a place and time where we can find The Bear. What about Mongrel?"

"Nothing yet, you sure you don't know anything more about this guy?"

Shaking her head from side to side, Stephanie closed her eyes. "You know what I know. He was one of the guys on Ranger's team. Outside of Tank, Lester and Bobby, Mongrel was someone he would trust with his life. And unlike everyone else in Troop Trenton this guy has blond hair."

"So why isn't this guy, Mongrel, working for Ranger?"

Stephanie smiled. Funny, she had asked Ranger that same question. "Ranger wouldn't tell me. Said that someday he hoped I'd get the chance to meet him and if I did, I could ask the man myself."

"Well, I took another look through all the information, what little there is, about the Rangers during the years Manoso was active – at least on public record. I even called in a few favors and gained access to some private information," he paused as he spread out three 8 x 10 photos on the table. "One of these three men has to be the guy we're looking for."

Stephanie studied the three photographs. Two of the men pictured had yellow blond hair; the third man had dark blond.

"I sure as hell hope you're able to convince Mongrel to help us. God knows we're going to need it."

"I'll convince him, no matter what it takes," Stephanie slid the photos back to Randy.


	6. Chapter 6

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 6**

As the countryside passed in front of her eyes, Stephanie viewed it with little interest. Her body felt like it had become a permanent fixture of the car seat. She adjusted her seat and leaned back. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out. She needed to find her zone. She counted to four, inhaling a little deeper on each number and then exhaling at the same rate as she reversed the count. After a few minutes of continuing the pattern, Stephanie felt her body start to drift, reaching that first peaceful moment when you know that sleep was just another breath away.

Randy relaxed when he heard Stephanie's even breathes of sleep. She needed it bad. Since their escape from Trenton, her anxiety level had diminished some, but not enough. He slowed the van down, driving five miles per hour under the speed limit hoping to allow her as much time to sleep as he could prior to reaching their next destination.

* * *

Ranger had spent the night sitting at his desk. For the umpteenth time, he ran his fingers through his hair. How in the hell had things gotten so fucked up? Shit, what he had put Stephanie through was far worse than anything Morelli had ever done or even what one of his enemies might have done for that matter. If Ranger wasn't already convinced of that, Tank, Bobby and Morelli had made sure he knew it from their 'opinions' last night.

And Lester, damn, Lester was another story. He may have lost one of the few friends he had because of the situation. He drove his fingers back through his hair again.

"At first I wanted to kill you for what your stupidity has put Steph through, but I must admit that watching you suffer is even better."

Ranger lifted his head and looked into a pair of hateful Italian eyes. "Why are you still here? I thought you'd finished with me last night," Ranger was aching for a fight and Morelli would do as well as anyone. Hell, maybe better.

"Tank asked me to help find Steph and that's what I intend to do. I've taken some time off from work so you might as well get used to the idea of seeing me around," Morelli saw the self-hatred shining in Ranger's eyes and knew without a doubt what the man was feeling. "You see, as much as I'm enjoying watching you suffer, there's something I want to see even more, and that is the look on your face when Stephanie tells you to go to hell when you try to explain why you did what you did. I want to see you suffer when she rips your heart out."

Morelli didn't have a chance to prepare for the full force of the other man's body as Ranger launched across the desk. The two of them went crashing to the floor, punching and struggling, each trying to gain control. As another crash sounded, a pair of powerful arms separated the two warring men.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" Tank roared. "You guys can kill each other after we find Steph. Until then, both of you need to show some control. Believe me, if you can't, I'm looking for some relief myself." Looking into his friend's eyes, Tank wasn't so sure he wouldn't get the chance right then.

"We've got the security tapes from the grocery store," Tank walked toward the video player. "I think it would be best if we all concentrated our energy on locating Stephanie. The sooner we find her, the safer she'll be." Tank hit the play button.

"Where's Lester?"

Bobby and Tank looked at each other and then Tank let out a long slow breath.

"He left last night."

"Where?"

"He went back to Miami. Said he would be more help to Steph doing his digging from the RangeMan office down there."

Ranger dropped into the nearest chair and heaved a heavy sigh, "Start the tape."

The quality of the tape was poor at best. Images caught by camera shots angled from above in tones of murky gray. All four men watched the tape from the moment Stephanie appeared as she got out of the VW until the end of the tape. Then they watched it again.

"Damn, how the hell did she get out of there without being seen?" Bobby asked in frustration.

"She didn't," Joe said. "We're just missing the disguised version of her."

"Morelli's right. Run it again," Ranger instructed. "Concentrate on the first thirty minutes after her arrival."

They watched again, closer this time. "Hold it," Ranger said. "There, the woman with the short hair and the tote bag."

"You sure?" Tank asked without taking his eyes off the screen.

"I maybe the biggest son of a bitch in this room, but I'd recognize her walk anywhere," Ranger said.

Tank rewound the tape and played it back in slow motion.

"Well, Manoso, you're right on both counts. That's Steph's walk and you're the biggest SOB in this room." Joe said and then smiled.

* * *

Stephanie missed the sign indicating that they had arrived in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina because she was still sleeping. Randy had parked the van at the back of the hotel's parking lot an hour ago. He'd let her continue to sleep as he checked his e-mails. Well, he had waited as long as he could; now it was time to wake her up.

"Steph," he nudged her. "Stephanie," he said louder.

"What?" Startled, she reached for her gun.

"Whoa, woman, it's me."

"Damn it, Randy! I almost shot you," Stephanie yelled as she tried to sit up in the reclined car seat. "Stupid seat!"

"I knew you weren't a morning person, but it's after eight o'clock at night! When is it your time of day?" Randy grumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," Stephanie rubbed the sleep from her face with her hands. "Where are we?"

"Ft. Bragg. We're at a hotel. Thought you should check in so we could have a decent night's sleep and a shower."

"Okay, I'll be right back." She surveyed the parking lot and then opened the van's door. Randy watched her walk into the lobby, pulling her jeans up every few steps. She really needed to buy some new clothes.

Stephanie walked up to the reception desk and asked for a room for one for one night. The man behind the desk looked at her wild hair and wrinkled clothes.

"Traveling alone?"

Stephanie finished signing the registration form and took the room keycard from his hand. "Do you have a problem with a woman traveling by herself?" She narrowed her eyes and waited for the stupid remark she was sure would be coming.

"No problem, we just like to keep track of any single women that are registered in the hotel. Safety reasons and all."

"Well, that's very nice of the management, but just so you know, I'm not here to fuck around or to be fucked around with, okay?" Stepping back from the desk, she walked back out the door, not waiting to hear what he had to say.

Randy watched her as she made her way back to the van. The length of her stride warned him that something had happened inside to set her off. He'd give her another twenty-four hours. If she didn't pull it together in that time he'd find some way to terminate this madness.

Resting her hand on the door handle, Stephanie tried to collect herself. She knew that she had overreacted to the guy at the hotel desk; she really needed to get a grip on her reactions. Her forehead fell forward to rest on the window of the door. She could do this; she just needed a good night's sleep. She stopped as she reached to open the car door and took a deep, calming breath.

"Gotta problem?" Randy asked as Stephanie reached in for her small suitcase.

"No, just really tired," she pretended to yawn. "You sure you don't want to come in and share the room tonight?" Randy's small fingers were speeding over the keyboard of one of the multiple computers he had arranged in his traveling home-office.

Rolling his eyes up to look at her he shook his head no. "I'll be fine. Believe me; I have spent many comfortable nights in here. I've got everything I need, plus I plan on double-checking of our facts before we take step two tomorrow."

"Well, if you're sure." Stephanie felt the pocket of her jeans, checking that she had her set of car keys. "What about dinner?"

"Got it covered," this time Randy didn't bother to look at her.

"They're in my pocket along with my new cell phone." Stephanie lifted a small tote bag of essentials Randy had put together from a list she gave him and then hesitated. "See you in the morning, and Randy, thanks again for all your help. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." She tossed him the spare key to the room.

Later that night, after a long hot shower, Stephanie lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The shower and pizza had her feeling almost normal. Well, as normal as her life was capable of being these days.

Letting her mind drift, she felt the tension and heightened anxiety of the last forty-eight hours start to leave her body. She was confident she could accomplish what she was setting out to do; it was just a matter of regaining her concentration. Willing her thoughts to close one at a time, her body and mind soon surrendered to their desperate need for sleep.

Stephanie forced herself to recognize the sound coming through the fog of deep sleep. Her hand reached out, slapping the top of the nightstand in search of her phone and felt the slight vibration as it rang.

"What?" Her voice sounded scratchy but alert.

"Someone's trying to get in the van." Stephanie had to strain to understand Randy's fearful whispers.

"What?" Stephanie bounced out of bed and made her way to the window that overlooked the hotel's parking lot, drawing the edge of the curtain back to look down at the parked van.

"I don't see anybody. Are you sure?" Stephanie continued to scan the parking lot.

"Yes, damn it. It's not hotel security, there's at least two of them," Randy's whispered words were rushed. "Steph, we need to do something." He waited for her response. All he heard was the call being disconnected on the other end. "Shit."

Not bothering to change the t-shirt she had been sleeping in, Stephanie yanked on her discarded jeans. She grabbed her gun, cell phone and the key card for the room then headed out the door.

With quiet measured steps, Stephanie approached the van, stopping two cars away. She was close enough to see the two men, but far enough away to stay hidden. She could hear the deep hushed tone as one of the men pleaded with the other.

"Damn it, Jimmy, hurry up. You're taking too long." Turning around to make sure their actions were still going undetected, the second man dropped the cigarette he had been smoking. Grinding it out with the toe of his boot, he turned back to watch his buddy.

"Shut the fuck up, Tommy. Next time we'll see how fast you can do this," the second man grumbled.

Taking the last step away from the van, Stephanie stood to the side of the thieving duo but kept her gun hidden as she slipped the safety off her gun. She cleared her throat and both men jumped away form the van; the one called Tommy began fumbling with the pocket of his jacket.

"Take your hand out of your pocket," Stephanie ordered. She watched as the man did as he was told. "Now, both of you put your hands on top of your heads."

"And just what makes you think we're gonna listen to you, sugar?" The man called Tommy grinned at her and started strutting toward her.

"Get any closer and you'll be dickless as well as brainless," Stephanie raised her gun, aiming it at his crotch.

"Holy shit, lady!" Tommy jumped back. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"You're trying to break into my van and you want to know what's wrong with me?" She shook her head. "Tommy, you really are stupid. Where's your car?"

"I ain't telling you nothing, bitch," Tommy had decided to show his pathetic IQ level by speaking again.

Stephanie took a step closer. "I'm a pretty good shot, Tommy. From back there, you might have had something to save if I'd shot you in the balls, but standing this close, I can guarantee you that there'll be nothing left." Stephanie's stance remained calm and confident.

"We're parked about two blocks over that way," Jimmy motioned with his head. "Didn't want to get caught."

Stephanie looked at the men. Stupid fools still didn't realize that they had gotten caught despite their planning and that she knew their names.

"Turn around, nice and slow and put your hands in your back pockets." Without questioning, each man did as she instructed. "Good, now let's walk to your car." She followed close behind them as they walked the two blocks to their car.

Reaching the car, Stephanie pulled out her cell phone and called Randy to give him the car's license plate number and the names of the two guys hoping it would keep them from coming back a second time. She closed the phone and put it back in her pocket. "Who has the keys?"

"I do," Jimmy answered.

"Take them out of your pocket," Stephanie watched as the man reached into the front right pocket of his jeans and pulled out a key ring holding two keys. "Tommy, you get in the passenger seat and then I'll let your friend get in."

Tommy did as he was told and then Jimmy got in. Stephanie held the door open with her free hand.

"I see either one of you again and I'll shoot you without asking any questions. Understand?" Both men bobbed their heads up and down as Stephanie closed the car door.

Jimmy hit the gas pedal, leaving a patch of rubber as the car tore away from the curb.

Sliding the safety back on, Stephanie started to stuff the gun in the small of her back and then remembered her jeans were too loose to hold it in place. "Damn it."

She'd made her way back to the hotel and rapped on the door to the van and waited until she heard the soft click of the lock unlatching from the other side. Opening the door, she slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Reporting car theft is not a good way to stay out of sight."

"Well, if you're okay, I'm going to go back and try to get some more sleep." This time Stephanie stifled a real yawn. "Call me if you need me," she turned to leave.

"Appreciate your help, Robin."

"Robin?"

"You know, as in Batman and Robin?" Stephanie gave Randy such a blank stare he felt the need to ramble on.

"Robin was his fearless sidekick." When she just continued to stare at him, Randy threw up his hands in exasperation.

Stephanie smiled at him. "Cute, I like that." Catching her brief smile, he smiled back as she closed the van's door.


	7. Chapter 7

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 7**

Stephanie woke to the sound of running water, her hand reaching for her gun next to the bed as she untangled the sheets from around her legs. She scanned the door; all the locks were secure. She slipped the safety off her gun and tiptoed across the room to listen at the bathroom door. She shook her head in disbelief, Randy was singing in the shower, someone else who had the ability to enter through a double locked door.

She slipped the safety back on her gun and walked back to the bed, climbing under the still warm covers. Not intending to sleep, she stretched her body in the gentle warmth of the bed. It felt wonderful to be able to extend her body out straight after sitting in the car. Maybe she should go for a run.

Her body tensed and her heart grew heavy. Since meeting Ranger, Stephanie had never run by herself. Hell, she spent most of her time trying to get out of running. She needed to maintain the intense level of training she had started a few weeks ago if she wanted to be successful with her plan. Heaving a deep sigh, she threw the covers back once more.

Pulling on a pair of shorts and socks, she stopped and scrawled a quick note to Randy. She finished dressing then jammed the key card down inside her sock and wedged her gun between the waistband of her shorts and the small of her back, thankful that the shorts were new and fit her well enough to hold the gun snug against her back. Unlocking the door, she headed out into the warm North Carolina morning.

* * *

Tank stood just inside the doorway to the office, observing Ranger. As much as he wanted to rip the man apart for what he had put Stephanie through, Tank knew that Ranger needed some sign of forgiveness from him. He knew how much the man loved Stephanie; how for the past two years he had, time after time, almost lost hope that he would ever have the opportunity to show her how much he loved her. And now, well shit, things were screwed up beyond belief.

"You need to get some rest," Tank advised as he walked into the room. "Maybe even get something to eat."

Ranger ignored both suggestions as he continued to watch the surveillance tapes from the medical building, watching and rewinding them, over and over again.

"How many times are you going to watch that?"

Ranger froze the final frame of the tape that showed Stephanie walking out of the building by herself. He sat staring at the frozen image on the screen. Turning hollow eyes in the direction of Tank's voice, "My stupidity and poor judgment almost cost Steph her life. I'm not sure what the number of times is for that kind of mistake." Ranger turned his eyes back to the screen, "I will find her."

Tank turned to glance at the two men walking up behind him. Bobby and Joe each had a cup of coffee that smelled so good that Tank decided Ranger's misery could last a few more moments while he poured himself a cup. Bobby and Joe entered the room without speaking and sat opposite Ranger. Each pair of eyes riveted on the frames of film showing Stephanie's back as she walked away. Alone.

"I will find her," Ranger repeated without looking at them.

"No," Joe spoke as he blew over the top of his coffee. All eyes turned to look at him. "We'll find her. You made this mess, but it's going to take all of us to clean it up." He took a small sip of the hot brew.

"I agree," Bobby said, his eyes never leaving Ranger's face. "She's all that matters right now."

Ranger turned and looked each man in the eyes, "I know how bad I've fucked this up and I will do whatever it takes to find Stephanie. I don't expect her to forgive me, but I will find her."

"Let's start with what we know," Tank took a long swallow of the strong coffee. "We know she did a lot of planning on this with someone, but whom?" He looked around the room, pausing as he glanced at each individual giving them the chance to contribute their thoughts.

"Okay, we know that she's in good physical shape, but her mental ability is shaky at best," he watched as the meaning of his words registered with Ranger.

"Her gun is gone," Tank met Ranger's eyes. "Yes, she's a pretty good shot now. As a matter of fact, she's practiced everyday for the past month and a half. Now I know why," Tank lowered his eyes to stare into his cup. "Shit, I should have realized she had a plan, but I was just so relieved that she was functioning again that I ignored the obvious."

Joe spoke for the second time. "Like you said, she's had someone helping her. She's not stupid; she'd know that there would be an element of danger in whatever she's planning; therefore, we can eliminate anyone in her family and Mary Lou. She wouldn't want to endanger anyone, but given what I think is her need for revenge for your death; that narrows down her options to a couple of people who would have the necessary means to help her that she would feel right in asking," Joe didn't speak for a few seconds and then he looked up at Tank. "I did some checking this morning. Eddie, Carl, Big Dog, Lula and Connie are all accounted for. That leaves either Randy Briggs or Sally Sweet. Both men have irregular schedules and work on their own, so not seeing them around wouldn't be that unusual. Since we found that _unofficial_ laptop upstairs, my money's on Randy. I figure that's how she's worked this whole thing out. I asked Eddie to quietly check on both of our possibilities and to call me back as soon as he found out anything."

* * *

Lester had sat with his eyes closed throughout the whole flight to Miami. He needed to think and not even the crying baby two rows back could distract him from his inner turmoil. How in the hell could Ranger and Tank have kept their plans from him and Bobby? They had been through so much together. The pain and betrayal he felt was almost unbearable, he couldn't even imagine how Stephanie would be affected once she found out. Maybe leaving Trenton hadn't been the smartest thing, but then again this mess didn't seem to produce smart decisions.

As the plane's wheels touched down, Lester straightened up in his seat. He was a trained professional first, a friend second. He'd use all of his training to find Steph and the hell with Ranger.

* * *

The sun was warm on her shoulders and on her face. Not being familiar with the area, Stephanie ran along the main road. Her thoughts seemed to separate themselves from the mechanical motion of her body. Thoughts she had been suppressing for the past two months bubbled to the surface. How could someone fall so in love that fast? How could someone spend so much time with a person as a friend and then in a blink of an eye, see them in a different light and know that that person made their world complete? How could one monstrous act rip your life apart in an instant, leaving you with nothing but emptiness and… and… Stephanie stopped running and bent over, gasping for breath and realized she was crying. She had no idea how long the tears had been flowing or how far she had run.

"Damn it, he's gone!" Stephanie reprimanded herself.

Judging by the degree of wetness of her t-shirt, she figured it was time to turn around and head back to the hotel. Pivoting around, she forced herself to focus on each running step she took, saying the mantra she had been using for the past few weeks: payback, payback, payback, payback…


	8. Chapter 8

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 8**

Back inside the van, Stephanie and Randy reviewed the information they had on Major Samuel Duncan, aka Cracker. Randy had compiled a complete dossier on Duncan from birth to present day. Stephanie had reviewed it earlier but concentrated today's interest on the time he and Ranger had served together.

"I've arranged an appointment for you with Duncan at 3 p.m. today. You will be Marsha Nelson, a freelance newspaper reporter researching and interviewing current and former members of various Army Ranger units and how the tight camaraderie carries over into their personal lives," Randy reinforced her cover once again.

"No problem, Randy. All Ihave to do is stroke his ego, ask him a few questions, cross my legs, just your basic Burg methods to start a man talking."

"Well, then I guess we're all set," Randy said.

"Not quite," Stephanie added as she smiled at Randy's questioning look. "First, I have to stop at the mall. My interview with Major Duncan is going to require a few _necessities._"

At 3 p.m. on the dot, Stephanie eased the rental car up to the guard station. Lowering the window she smiled at the stern-faced guard who was blocking her from entering the main entrance with his body.

"Hi. My name is Marsha Nelson; I have an appointment with Major Duncan," she held up the very authentic-looking fake ID that Randy had given her.

The guard approached the driver's side and inspected the ID card. Checking the daily printout of expected visitors, he glanced at Stephanie's face and then stepped back, making sure he had the car's license number recorded and then waved her on through.

Once Stephanie was inside the main building, she was given a visitor's ID badge to wear and shown to Major Duncan's office. He was on the phone so she sat down in the small reception area outside his office to wait.

Her wait was short, under five minutes. The inner door of Duncan's office opened and a tall blond haired man with muscles to spare approached her with his hand outstretched.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Nelson. Sorry to keep you waiting," Duncan said with a smile that rivaled Ranger's. "Please, step into my office. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea?"

Stephanie smiled back and shook her head. If he says _'me'_, I may have to stick my finger down my throat she thought. She was saved from displaying such an unladylike action when his third offer was "Water?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm kind of pressed for time. My assistant seems to have double booked my interviews today, so I'd like to move this along if that's okay with you?" Stephanie smiled and crossed her legs. Her smile held as she watched Duncan's eyes travel up and down her legs.

For the next hour Stephanie played her role to perfection. As Major Duncan finished answering the last question, Stephanie closed her notebook.

"Thank you for your time," Stephanie worked to keep her smile even. "I'm really looking forward to meeting the rest of the gentlemen on my list."

"Who else are you going to interview?" Major Duncan asked.

"Well, I'm scheduled to visit with Jake Adkins in Chicago next," Stephanie paused, hoping that Duncan might add something about Adkins.

Duncan smiled and shook his head, "He and I grew up outside of Detroit, played hockey together. Blades was the best damn goalie we ever had; too bad about his car accident."

"Car accident?"

"Couple of days ago. He and his wife had to go to Santa Fe because her mother became ill. They were leaving the rental car area at the airport when they were rear-ended by one of the airport buses. Broke his leg."

"Well, guess I'll need to rearrange my schedule. The other two on my list are Ricardo Manoso and a G. Harrison Hamilton. Guess I'll just have to call and see which one I can meet with instead."

"Like to be there when you meet Ric and the BLT boys," Duncan chuckled.

"The BLT boys?"

"**B**obby, **L**ester and **T**ank. Those guys could get in and out of the tightest places without ever being seen." This time the Major laughed.

"So, let me get these code names straight. Adkins was Blades, you were Cracker and Manoso was Ranger." Stephanie was glad she was sitting down, just saying Ranger's name make her legs weak. "What about Harrison?"

Duncan frowned, "You know, I think they called him Swede."

"Do you recall anyone going by the name Mongrel?"

Major Duncan's face went blank, "Mongrel? Um, no, sorry, can't say that I remember anyone by that name, might have been someone who joined up with them for a couple of missions."

Damn, Stephanie thought. "Well, thank you again. I'll send you a copy of the article for your approval prior to its going to print."

"It was my pleasure, Ms. Nelson," Major Duncan walked her to the outer door of the office. "Tell the others I said hi when you see them."

Stephanie smiled and nodded as she shook his hand good-bye.

Major Duncan watched as she drove away; thinking about the conversation they'd had. Ms. Nelson, if that was her name, was searching for something or someone in particular. He'd wager she was looking for someone. He turned back and walked to his office and opened a small wall safe. He pulled out a small notebook. Locating the phone number he was searching for, he dialed it. The phone rang once and then a mechanical voice answered.

"Why?"

"Why? Because a great pair of legs was in my office today and wanted to know if I knew anyone by the name of Mongrel, that's why. Just thought you should know."


	9. Chapter 9

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 9**

Parked, but with the engine running, cold air continued to cool the interior of the small rental car. Stephanie redirected the dashboard vents as she sat thinking. Frustrated that her interview with Major Duncan had failed to reveal any useful information on Mongrel's true identity, she tried to suppress her feelings of impatience.

Duncan knew who Mongrel was. She had seen the momentary surprise in his eyes when she mentioned the name. He was quick to hide his surprise, just not quick enough. Or maybe she was just better at reading people's faces now.

Stephanie's body was cloaked in the hot humid air of the evening as she opened the car door. She shivered as the two temperatures mixed against her skin. Leaning back inside, she gathered up her purse and the notebook.

Glancing around the parking lot, she located Randy's van parked under a security light at the end of the lot. They changed hotels ever night, not wanting to draw the attention of the hotel's management and hoping the constant moving around would keep them hidden from those looking for them. Stephanie smiled when she noticed the Rangers hockey fan sign stuck on the window. Displaying the plastic sign in the window was Randy's way of telling her that he was inside the van and that everything was fine.

As she approached the glass doors to the hotel's lobby, Stephanie saw the reflection of a black SUV as it drove down the street behind her. It made sense that Duncan would follow her. Just proved she was right. Duncan knew who Mongrel was and just maybe it told her something else. Maybe Mongrel had more secrets than Ranger did. Now that was a very scary thought.

* * *

Lester had commandeered one of the small offices in the RangeMan Miami building. He knew the other employees were curious as to why he had come to Miami by himself. Most of the time, he and Bobby came together or all four of them would come down to do a job. Coming down alone and then selecting an office to work solo in had caused the whispers to start.

Staring at the papers he held in his hands, Lester's tired mind started drifting. Surrendering to his thoughts, he relaxed the papers from his hands and slumped back into the chair.

Babysitting Stephanie those first twenty-four hours after she had tried to kill herself had taught him more about love than he had ever thought possible. Watching her body fight against her depressed emotions produced feelings of awe. Sure, he had witnessed surprising acts of physical strength and courage, but he had never seen deep honest love and that was what he had experienced as he sat next to her in the hospital that night. He had never known anyone who would rather die than face life without the one they loved. He knew that what Stephanie had tried to do was wrong and foolish and deep down she knew it, too, that was why her body fought so hard to live. But still, just seeing how intense her feelings of love were caused him to wonder how it would feel to love someone with that kind of completeness, and for them to love you back the same in return.

Lester knew how surprised he and the other guys had been when they'd discovered Ranger's feelings for Stephanie. None of them had ever expected him to have a 'real' relationship after the failure of his first marriage and the death of Harrison's family. Bed partners sure, but not to fall in love with someone, especially someone like Stephanie. Then to cause so much pain by lying to her and to his friends, Lester wasn't sure he could ever forgive him. Pulling himself upright in the chair, Lester rubbed his face with his hands, trying to bring his thoughts back to the present. He wasn't sure what Stephanie's plan was or where she had gone, but he would find her and if possible, ahead of Ranger.

* * *

One habit Stephanie hadn't changed over the past few months was how she did her thinking. Flopped out on her back across the bed, she willed her mind to relax, hoping that the bits and pieces of her day might come together.

With her eyes closed, she reviewed the answers Duncan had given her, his body movements and how both his tone of voice and his body language had changed once she'd brought up the name Mongrel. The more Stephanie thought about Duncan, the more convinced she became that he wasn't Mongrel. Okay, one of the three could be eliminated and Duncan had given her fresh information on Adkins. Duncan's comment about the possibility of Mongrel being a temporary addition to the team might be the reason she and Randy were having trouble digging up any information. So that left G. Harrison Hamilton of Miami. If he wasn't Mongrel, then she'd just have to finish the plan by herself. Feeling more in control than she had for the past few days, she allowed herself the luxury of a pre-dinner nap.

Rolling over Stephanie knew the room was dark even without opening her eyes. Amazing how one could feel their surroundings if they just paid attention. The smell of fresh coffee brought her eyes open. Randy was sitting in the chair at the small desk reading a paperback book.

"Got an extra cup for me?" Stephanie asked as she sat up. Randy used the hand he was holding his cup in to indicate that hers was sitting on the nightstand.

"Thanks." Stephanie stood up and stretched.

"Duncan's info on Adkins was correct. He's still in New Mexico and will be for another six weeks. He really smashed up his leg good." Randy rolled his eyes upward to watch her reaction as he took another sip of coffee.

"Guess that just leaves us with good old G. Harrison Hamilton," Stephanie used her best snooty voice as she said the name. "Still can't believe someone as aristocratic-sounding as Hamilton would have been in the military, let alone be one of Ranger's Army buddies," Stephanie set her coffee back down on the nightstand.

"So we head out for Miami tomorrow?" Randy asked, even though he knew the answer.

"As early as possible," Stephanie ran her hands over her hair, trying to tame her 'nap-do'.

"What happens if Hamilton isn't Mongrel? What then?" Randy asked, afraid he knew what her answer might be.

"Then I'll do it myself." Turning her back to Randy, she walked toward the bathroom. "I'll be ready to leave for dinner in about ten minutes, okay?" Not waiting for his answer, she pulled the bathroom door shut behind her.

"Shit, this could get ugly," Randy whispered and marked his place in his book.

The closest restaurant that looked clean enough to eat in served the Chef Boy-R-Dee version of Mexican food. At least the beer was ice cold.

Stephanie had wanted to leave and go somewhere else when two overweight lumps of low-grade male flesh started making nasty remarks about Randy's size. Randy proved to be the bigger man by ignoring them as they waited for their table.

Dinner was edible and passed without any problems from the two lumps despite their numerous verbal attempts to start something. The waitress brought the bill as Stephanie drained the last of her beer.

"Everything all right?" The waitress asked in a tired voice.

"Fine," Randy answered as he picked up the bill.

Stephanie watched as the waitress shuffled away, "Why do they always wait until they bring the bill to ask you if everything's okay?"

Randy didn't bother to supply her with an answer, but walked in the direction of the cashier.

"I'm going to the bathroom first," Stephanie said to his back. Randy nodded.

The condition of the bathroom was a mere step above the food and that wasn't saying much, but when your bladder is full, well, you just close your eyes and let the urine flow.

Stephanie was zipping up her pants when the bathroom door opened and she heard the hushed laughter of deep drunken voices.

"Hey there, sweet thing. We've got som'em for ya. Yeah, som'em extra large."

More hushed laughter and this time Stephanie heard the unmistaken sound of a zipper being lowered.

"Guys, do all of us a favor and just leave," Stephanie called from inside the stall.

"Now, swee'thing, we were thinkun that we'd do you a favor offr'ing you som'em big after seeing that little runt you was with," one of them said.

Stephanie could smell their closeness. Think, Stephanie, think. "Well, I sure hope one of you has some protection, I've kinda got me a little bit of a STD problem," Stephanie was hoping the fear of an infection might turn them off… oh, who was she kidding, together, they couldn't even spell STD.

"Course we got us some protection. Now quit stalling, girlie and get out here," this time it sounded like the larger guy. One of them must have raised his arms to pound on the door because there was a significant increase in the BO air.

Sighing, Stephanie opened the lock on the stall door and stepped out. She aimed her gun at the closest crotch, "Just for your information, boys, I shoot the balls off my men."

Both men stared down at the gun, their eyes growing large with fear. "Who's first?" Stephanie took advantage of their frozen state and walked backwards to the door. "Well hell, guys. I thought y'all said those were extra large. Sure looks like a couple of extra small ones to me." Opening the door, Stephanie stepped out of the restroom and pulled one of the nearby chairs over. She jammed the back of it under the doorknob, hoping that it would slow the two down. She replaced her gun between the waistband of her new jeans and the small of her back. She thought how nice it was to have a pair of jeans that fit as she hurried out through the restaurant.

Climbing behind the wheel of the rental car, Stephanie locked the car doors as soon as she and Randy were inside.

"Problem?"

"Nope, the bathroom was just creepier than I thought it would be." Stephanie started the car and backed out of the parking space. Miami was looking better and better.


	10. Chapter 10

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 10**

As Stephanie pulled the van into the driveway of the condominium complex, both of them sighed with relief. If they had to drive one more mile, Stephanie was going to jump screaming from the van. The last two days had been long, tiring, boring, monotonous, tedious and every other 'ing' and 'ous' a person could think of.

"Don't forget, your name is Susan Parker," Randy reminded her as she double-checked in the visor mirror that all of her natural hair was hidden under the blond wig.

"I just hope the manager of this place doesn't want to talk. All I want to do is get the key so we can get inside. I really need to go to the bathroom," Stephanie said as she opened the driver's door. "Remember, stay out of sight."

"Yes, ma'am," Randy whined through his nose. Stephanie shot him a narrowed eye look as she closed the door.

He careful peeked from behind the driver's seat to watch as Stephanie went to the door of condo #1. An older man, who looked in better shape than most men half his age, answered the door. The smile he greeted Stephanie with enhanced his good looks. He handed her what looked like the keys and a garage door opener. Stephanie started back toward the van, halfway there she turned and waved at him.

"Condo #5 around back, just like you requested," she said as soon as the van's door was closed.

"Mr. Peterson, the manager, made sure that everything was turned on and working and had the neighborhood grocer deliver the basics for us. He wanted to make sure we had something in the house to eat in case we were too tired to go to the store tonight."

Stephanie pressed the garage door opener and watched as the two-car garage door lifted upward, revealing an empty hole under the front of the condo. She inched the van forward. "Am I over far enough?" she asked Randy who was looking out the window on the other side.

"You're fine." Wiggling between the front seats, he reached under the dash board and pulled a recessed lever.

"What's that?"

"It unlocks the trailer hitch. Come on, if you roll the Harley out first, the trailer will be easier for us to move inside."

"Whatever, let's just get it done."

Randy went to the back of the trailer and unlocked its door. Stephanie hopped up inside and started to untie the stabilizing ropes off the motorcycle. Randy pulled a small ramp out from under the trailer bed and Stephanie rolled the bike down and walked it to the other side of the garage. Together the two pushed and angled the trailer into the other side of the garage. With everything safe and out of sight, Stephanie pressed the inside garage door button and the door slid back down into place.

* * *

Bobby closed his cell phone. It felt odd giving Lester all the latest information they had on Stephanie over the phone. The two men had worked together for so many years that working apart never felt right. Bobby had never learned what had caused Lester to change his opinion of Stephanie. Whatever it was it had to be significant; Lester was one of the hardest people Bobby had ever met to impress. One day you could joke with Lester about Stephanie's shortcomings and then overnight it seemed like he had placed her on a pedestal.

"Did you give Lester the latest?" The question seemed to float out of the shadows that were beginning to fill the room. Bobby was startled by Ranger's appearance. If Ranger had been suffering from physical wounds, Bobby would label him the walking dead, but since Ranger's wounds were emotional, he'd have to label him the walking empty.

"Man, you need to get some rest. Eating would be good, too." Ranger didn't respond, he just continued to stare at him with empty eyes. "Yeah, I gave him what little news we had on the van." Bobby stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of Ranger. "I know you're hurting, man, but you have to realize how screwed up this whole thing has gotten. I'm not sure Lester will ever be a part of the team again."

As if a switch had been flipped on inside of him, Ranger started laughing. His laughter started out as a soft chuckle and then grew in volume and intensity until it filled the room with the sound of near hysteria. "You're right, Bobby." Ranger choked the words out as he tried to stop his laughter. "Lester won't be part of our team because there won't be a fucking team to be a part of when this is over."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby stepped closer as he asked the question.

"What I mean is that once we find Stephanie and I know that she's safe I'm out of here. I'll make sure that she'll be cared for, I'll leave her everything if…"

Bobby interrupted Ranger's little pity speech. "Maybe you ought to wait and see what she wants before you start giving her everything. What if she wants you?"

Ranger's nostrils flared with anger. It was the first glimpse of life to show in his face since he had returned and found Stephanie gone. "Want me?" he said through clenched teeth. "Want me?" he yelled.

Bobby braced himself for the punch he was sure Ranger was going to throw; instead Ranger picked up the computer monitor off the desk and threw it across the room. The next thing to go was the desk as Ranger flipped it over. Bobby reached out to try and calm Ranger down and received a square shot to the jaw for his efforts.

"Ricardo!" Tank's voice boomed from the doorway. Tank waited to see if the out-of-control man would listen.

Anger made Ranger's reactions quicker as he lunged for Tank. Sounds of clenched fists hitting flesh filled the room as the two struggled and fought, leaving a trail of wreckage down the center of the room. Bobby tried grabbing whatever body part he could to separate the two men. Tank succeeded in gaining control of Ranger.

"Get off me," Ranger glared at each of the men holding him down.

"You gonna behave?" Tank asked.

"Yes." Ranger's voice was still filled with anger.

Tank looked at the man he had pinned to the floor. "You pull that shit again and I won't be gentle. I'll hurt your sorry ass. Bad." He released his hold on Ranger's arms. Bobby did the same.

"Being in love with Stephanie Plum makes a man crazy," Joe said as he walked over to one of the two pieces of furniture still intact, the bar. Finding an unbroken glass, he filled it half-full with scotch.

"Shut the fuck up, Morelli, we just got things calmed down," Bobby yelled.

Joe threw back half of the scotch and waited for it to reach his stomach. "I'm not trying to start anything, far from it." Swirling the remaining liquor around in the glass, Joe walked over to the one other remaining piece of unbroken furniture, the sofa, and sat down. "I can almost understand Ranger's decision he made that night. Seeing the woman you love being held at gunpoint, thinking that you or your job is the reason for it. Hell, emotions never mix with logic. Kinda like oil and water," Joe finished his drink. "What I can't understand is why you've picked now to roll over and play dead. No pun intended," he stared at Ranger. "Where's all that 'my shit don't stink' swagger of yours now that she needs you more than ever? Are you really as good as you say or not, 'cause if you're not, get out of my way, because I am as good as I say and I want her back and I don't mean just back in Trenton."

Ranger was sitting on the floor as he watched and listened to Joe. All the emptiness vanished from his eyes. Without the assistance of any other part of his body, Ranger rose from his sitting position, using just the strength in his legs.

"Bobby, I want the mechanic who converted Brigg's van here first thing tomorrow morning. Tank, I want to speak with Stephanie's psychiatrist tomorrow as soon as possible. Morelli, check and see if Briggs has ever used an alias and I want a list of any medications he might be taking. Good night, gentlemen," Ranger walked out of the shattered room and headed for his apartment, leaving the three men watching his back disappear through the doorway.

Tank turned to Joe and grinned. "Nice tactic, Morelli."

"Worked," Joe grinned back. "However, I meant what I said. I am good and I do want her back."

"This sure is going to be interesting," Bobby said. "I just hope I live to see how this story ends."

* * *

When he walked into his home, Harrison felt the deep sense of loss that always greeted him. It had been three years since the deaths of his wife and daughter and he still expected to see them when he came home. He dropped his briefcase next to the kitchen table as he made his way to the refrigerator. He grabbed a bottle of water and pulled his housekeeper's note off the fridge as the door closed.

_H, _

_Dinner's in the oven. Your sister called, wanted to know how you were doing, call her and the General wants to know when you're coming over for dinner._

_B_

Harrison smiled as he thought about Bonnie and the crush she had on the General. Wadding the piece of paper in his hand, he walked over to the oven to see what Bonnie had left him for dinner; it was roast chicken. Harrison decided that dinner could wait until after his run.

Picking up the mail, Harrison sorted through it as he walked down the hall to his office. It was the only place in the house where the memories of his wife and daughter didn't haunt him. His work was the single part of his life he had been able to go on with. He drained half the bottle of water as he waited for his computer to accept his security code.

As he sat in front of the dark computer screen with unfocused eyes, his subconscious mind noted something different. Focusing his eyes on the still dark computer screen, he saw what had caught his mind's attention. It was the reflection of a small blinking red light. Harrison couldn't stop staring at the blinking light. It had been three years since a message had been left on that machine. If he could have, he would have removed the damn thing years ago, but he couldn't for security reasons. Now, just the reflection of the blinking red dot chilled him to the bone. The computer screen came to life and the reflection disappeared and then reappeared when Harrison turned his chair around to face the small answering machine that sat on the bookcase behind him. He noticed the slight tremor of his hand as his finger pressed the play button.

"_Why? Because a great pair of legs was in my office today and wanted to know if I knew anyone by the name of Mongrel, that's why. Just thought you should know."_

Harrison stared at the now silent machine. Hitting the replay button, he listened to the message again. Shit, the message had been left two days ago. He'd been out of town until late last night. Harrison turned the chair to face his desk and dropped his head into his hands. The old adage was true, you could never escape your past and he had just unlocked the gates of hell by listening to that message.


	11. Chapter 11

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 11**

Standing at the kitchen sink, Stephanie drank a glass of fresh orange juice as she looked out the window. Not much of a view; then again, that was the whole idea, the less you saw, the less chance of someone seeing you. It was the brilliant blue sky that held her interest. Not the usual gray of a Trenton sky, but one that looked fresh, clean and new. Fresh, clean and new, the perfect description of how she hoped to start her life when this was all over.

Randy shuffled into the kitchen. "Morning."

Stephanie struggled to understand his muttering and turned to see if he was really awake. Only one eye appeared to be working. He walked up to the kitchen counter and stared at the coffeemaker. Stephanie looked at him and then at the coffeemaker.

"Oh shit! Randy, I'm so sorry," Stephanie pulled it closer to the edge of the counter so that Randy could reach it. As Randy continued to stare at the coffee, Stephanie grew more embarrassed. "Randy, I am really, really sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"So'kay Steph. Could you get me a cup?" he asked.

"Damn it, we're going to have to make this place easier for you to live in," Stephanie reached up into the cabinet and handed Randy a mug. "What else can I get you?" She started opening and closing cabinet doors.

"Steph, it's okay."

Stephanie continued to search the cabinets.

"Stephanie, please!" he yelled. "Please, it's okay. I just want to drink my coffee in peace."

"Sorry," Stephanie apologized. "You've just done so much for me and been such a good friend, that I'm not sure if I can ever repay you."

Randy looked at her and realized that she was on the verge of crying. "No, it's my fault. I'm just not a very pleasant person until I've had a couple of cups of coffee. And Steph, you've already given me a lot. You've treated me like a normal person from the beginning. After all, how many people would have attacked a poor little person?" Randy's only defense against her tears was to poke fun at the obvious.

"You little shit. Don't you dare talk about yourself that way! Why… you're one of the most normal people in my life," Stephanie shot back.

"Well, damn, I would take that as a compliment except I know for a fact that you don't know any normal people!"

Stephanie and Randy stared at each other with narrowed eyes and then they both started to laugh. "You are so right about that, plus I'm the most abnormal person I know right now," Stephanie gasped between laughs.

Randy's laughter stopped as quick as it had started, "It seems like forever since I heard you laugh like that."

"I've laughed." Stephanie's laughter sputtered to an end as she defended herself.

"No, I mean really laugh, the way you used to before…" Randy let the sentence drift off.

Stephanie's eyes softened. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Those days are gone, Randy. I can't slip back into believing they're not." Randy nodded. "I'm going for a short run. See you in about thirty minutes," She said and started for the front door. "Will you be okay until I get back?" she asked, looking back at Randy.

Randy just smiled and lifted his coffee cup. "I'll be fine."

* * *

Tank was sure he'd be the first one in the office, but as he entered the demolished office he found Ranger sitting behind the desk. Fresh from the shower, dressed and looking rested.

"Didn't expect to see you here this early," Tank said.

Ranger looked at Tank with a questioning expression. "Have you contacted Stephanie's doctor yet?"

"I called her answering service last night and told her you would like to meet with her at her earliest convenience today," Tank stood on the other side of the desk and looked at his friend. "She called back this morning and left a message saying that the only time she could meet with you was at 11 a.m. at her office." Ranger nodded in agreement.

Both men turned their attention toward the door as Joe walked into the office.

Joe's morning appearance was the exact opposite of both Ranger and Tank's. His hair was still wet from his shower, his clothes were rumpled and his heavy five o'clock shadow had seen multiple trips around the clock.

"Look, Carl, I'm not coming in until we've found Stephanie and I know that she's safe. Tell him he can call it comp time, sick time, vacation time, but if he keeps this shit up I'll call it quitting time," Joe's temper was starting to heat up. "Just tell Eddie I need that information on Briggs." Joe closed his cell phone and looked at the two men watching him. "What?"

"You'd quit your job for Steph?" Tank asked.

"Yes, I would. I told you, if there's a chance to win Stephanie back, I'm willing to do whatever is necessary," Joe locked eyes with Ranger.

Bobby walked in with a man dressed in a pair of old overalls. "Have a seat, Charlie." Bobby pulled out one of the replacement chairs Tank had brought in from another office. "Charlie, this is Ranger, Tank and Joe. Everybody, this is Charlie Smith, Randy's mechanic."

The mechanic's eyes followed Bobby's nods of introduction, his eyes taking in each of the three very intent faces that were watching him and started to sweat.

"Relax, Charlie," Ranger said with a full pseudo-smile. "We'd just like to ask you a couple of questions."

After ten minutes, it became obvious that Charlie had no idea where the two were planning on going. The best he could do for them was to describe the van in greater detail. At least now they knew what they were looking for.

Bobby pulled his truck up in front of Charlie's garage. "Thanks for your help,

Charlie."

Charlie nodded, but wasted no time in getting out of the truck.

"Remember; give us a call if you think of anything you might have forgotten or if you hear from Randy." Bobby smiled, but the look he gave the man was threatening on its own.

Charlie nodded and walked away.

Bobby watched Charlie walk back into his shop. He reached for his cell phone; time to call Lester for their daily update.

* * *

Randy was already hard at work on one of the multiple computers he had set up in the dining room by the time Stephanie returned from her morning run. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator as she headed off for a shower, she paused when Randy looked up from his work.

"What's your plan for the day?" Randy asked.

"Thought I'd take the Harley out for a little ride," Stephanie answered. "Check out the neighborhood."

"Just in case you're interested, I have the location of the most current construction site that Harrison's company, 3H Construction, is working on."

Stephanie smiled at him. "Write it down, sounds like someplace I'd be interested in." She reached for the piece of paper Randy pushed across the table, glancing down at the address and the directions. "Thanks."

Stephanie walked back into Randy's makeshift office after her shower. "I won't be gone too long, maybe a couple of hours." She stood behind Randy and looked at the computer screen. "What's that?"

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Randy's small fingers raced across the keyboard with unerring precision. "It's the flight plans that The Bear's private pilot has filed in the last few weeks." Randy felt Stephanie's eyes as they moved from the screen to him. "Don't ask; just make sure you take your cell phone with you."

Shaking her head in wonder, Stephanie patted her friend on the back, "Later."

* * *

Bonnie knew the minute she walked into the kitchen that something was wrong. The chill that ran down her spine was all too familiar. Checking the oven, she found the dinner she'd left still inside. Oh Lord, not again. Bonnie closed the oven and then crept down the hall to Harrison's office. There, sitting in his chair with his head resting on the edge of the back of the chair with his eyes closed, sat the large, lonely body of Geoffrey Harrison Hamilton, IV.

Bonnie leaned against the door's edge, closing her eyes to keep from crying. He deserved better, better than what fate had thrown at him, she thought.

"What?" Harrison sprang to alertness.

It never ceased to amaze Bonnie how quick he could sense someone around him, even in his sleep, if that's what you could call it.

"It's me, Harrison." She had learned to approach him by identifying herself in a soft voice. It had only taken her one time of doing it the wrong way to learn that lesson. "Are you alright?"

Rubbing his face with the palms of his hands Harrison waited to answer her question. "I'm fine." Pulling his fingers back through his hair, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Just need a shower. Think I'm going to work with the crew today."

Bonnie nodded as she watched Harrison raise his full 6'5" frame out of the chair. He had chosen to work alongside his employees several times since Victoria and Emma's death. Bonnie guessed that the physical labor of swinging a hammer helped to tire his body out so that he could sleep at night. But since that had stopped several months ago, what could have started it up again? Maybe she should call the General. She stepped aside as Harrison walked out of the room and made his way upstairs. Yes, she'd call the General later.

When Harrison walked back into the kitchen, Bonnie was cleaning up his forgotten dinner. "Sorry about the wasted dinner."

Turning, Bonnie was again reminded what a handsome man Harrison was, standing there in his worn jeans and tight white tee shirt; blond sun-streaked hair, muscular body from head to foot and the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

"I'll fix you some breakfast first," Bonnie smiled.

"Don't worry, Bonnie, I'll be okay," Harrison reached out with his large hand and squeezed her shoulder. "I just had a bad night, nothing to worry about, I promise." He tried to hide his lie behind a smile.

Not believing one word he said, Bonnie patted his hand as she looked up into his smiling face. "Okay."

Harrison's truck wasn't even out of the garage when Bonnie was on the phone.

* * *

Stephanie pulled the throttle back on the Harley, letting the engine's roar gain in sound as it warmed up. She loved the feeling of freedom the bike offered. She wasted no time in pointing the Harley south on I-95 as she left her rented neighborhood. She had made the unsafe decision to ride without a helmet, letting the wind blow through her hair as she enjoyed the throaty vibrations of the bike's engine. Not only was it unsafe, but also the effect the wind and humid air would have on her hair would cause it to resemble something from the wild kingdom. Right now, all she wanted was to feel free.

Seeing the sign for the Miami Civic Center, Stephanie took the next exit. Harrison's company was in charge of expanding the main building and she was hoping that once she got there, she'd come up with a plan.

Following the signs, she had no problem finding the civic center as she exited the freeway. Stephanie shifted gears, dropping the engine's unmistakable sound to a lower and slower pitch as she cruised slowly past the construction site. When she found a spot to turn around, she took deep breath, "Well, here goes."

Stephanie pulled the Harley into the site's makeshift parking lot that was filled with every imaginable type of pick-up truck. She slowed the bike to a stop and shut off the engine. She sat there for a few minutes, balancing the bike between her legs as she studied the layout of the site and waited for one of the workers to walk over. Distraction work in reverse; instead of her going in, they were going to come out to her.

A tall muscular man carrying a large hammer walked up to her and stood with a smile on his face. Stephanie couldn't see his eyes behind his mirrored sunglasses nor could she see his hair. He had his head wrapped with a blue paisley kerchief under his hardhat.

"Nice bike," he said not looking at the bike, but at her. "You lost or are you just enjoying the views?"

Using her best bad girl smile, Stephanie smiled back, "Not lost, just looking for someone and you might say that I'm enjoying the many views." Stephanie lowered her sunglasses enough so that the man could see her baby blue eyes.

"You gotta name?"

"Me or the person I'm looking for?" She started at the man's boots and raked her eyes up his lean body.

"Let's start with yours." His eyes did the same to her body.

"Stephanie." Stephanie slid her sunglasses back up her nose and looked at him. "And you are?"

"Ben."

"Well, Ben, I'm looking for a guy who goes by the name of Mongrel. Know him?" Stephanie watched the man's face from behind her glasses.

Ben frowned and shook his head. "Got a few mongrels running around here, mostly the four legged kind, but nobody by that name."

"Think we could ask some of the others?" Stephanie asked, indicating the construction site with the tilt of her head.

"Think you can get that hair under a hardhat?" Ben asked with a smile.

Stephanie swung her right leg over the seat of the bike, rising up on the toes of her left foot as she did so, allowing Ben and anyone else watching a prime view of her uplifted ass, "Putting large amounts of wild stuff into a small space is something I do very, very well." Leaning over, Stephanie gathered her hair in her hand, twisted it in a loose bun and then set the hardhat down over it. "See." Catching the sun on her smile, Stephanie noticed the crotch of Ben's jeans appeared tighter.

As she walked next to Ben, she reminded herself why she was doing this: payback.

As methodical as she could Stephanie made sure she spoke with as many workers at the site as possible. Halfway around the site, lunchtime sounded and silence filled the air. The ever-present sound of human shouts, air hammers, drills and other heavy machinery stopped and was replaced by normal levels of conversation and laughter.

The degree of attention the workers showed Stephanie was heightened and more direct as the workers broke for lunch. Several of the workers blew kisses and whistled, all of which she playfully returned. God, this was degrading she thought, but again, she reminded herself of the reason: payback.

"Is your boss here?"

"Harrison?" Ben asked in surprise.

"Yes."

Looking out over the group that had gathered around them, Ben saw Harrison's slight negative nod. "Nope, don't see him. Sorry." Ben looked down at Stephanie. "If you're free tonight, you might want to meet some of the other guys from around here at the Black Eye Bar down the road about half a mile." Ben pointed in the bar's direction.

"Might just do that," Stephanie knew this was a setup, but she needed to find Mongrel. "Thanks for your help and your time, Ben," Stephanie held out her hand. "See you later, around 7?"

"My pleasure," Ben accepted her hand. "7 would be fine."

Stephanie pulled her hand from Ben's and then removed the hardhat, shaking out her curls as she handed it back to him. Smiling, she made her way toward the Harley, knowing every pair of male eyes would follow the sway of her hips as she walked away. She could feel dozens of eyes glued to her ass and she made sure none of them were disappointed in what they saw.

Reaching the Harley, she stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. As she stood there, she was conscious of a forceful feeling at her back. The feeling was so strong that she was afraid to turn around, afraid she'd see Ranger. Summoning all her courage, she forced her body to turn around… to search.


	12. Chapter 12

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 12**

The smell of something wonderful greeted Stephanie as she walked through the door of the condo. Her mouth began to water, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks at the sight in front of her. Randy was standing on a chair in front of the stove with a towel wrapped around his waist as an apron.

"What the hell are you doing?" Stephanie asked. She crossed the room to stand next to him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm cooking. What the hell does it look like?" Randy shot back.

Confused by the sight of his small stature standing on the chair in front of the stove caused her all kinds of mental conflicts. Every safety rule that had been drilled into her said that small children should never be allowed to use the stove without supervision. He wasn't a small child, just a small man.

"Sorry. Smells great and I'm starved." Stephanie decided it was better to ignore her mental conflicts and pay attention to her stomach.

"Chicken and peppers over pasta," Randy said with pride in his voice. "It's one of my specialties."

"Anything I can do to help?" She held her breath, fearing that he'd say yes.

"No, everything's ready." Randy climbed down from the chair. "You can serve it if you'd like."

"My pleasure," Stephanie said as she washed her hands.

* * *

Pulling his sweaty t-shirt off, Harrison dropped it on the bathroom floor. His thoughts were centered on the beautiful woman with the long legs and long curly hair that looked like it had been tangled by sex instead by riding a Harley without a helmet. And her ass, damn, she had the sweetest ass he'd ever seen. Christ, what was wrong with him? He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.

Unzipping his jeans, he reached inside the shower, turning the water on and adjusting the temperature. Steam rose out of the shower stall and began to fill the rest of the room with warm moist air. Harrison peeled his jeans down over his legs, stepped out of them and kicked them across the floor to join his dirty t-shirt.

Testing the water once more with his hand, he stepped into the spray. Harrison tried to free his mind of the day's events by concentrating on the sharp hot pellets of water hitting his broad, strong back. Relax, he told himself. She was not someone to get involved with, someone with problems he didn't need to get involved with, someone who knew the name Mongrel and she was someone he was going to get some answers from later tonight. She also had the sweetest, most heart-shaped ass he had ever seen and heaven help him, she was the first woman in three years that had caused him to have a throbbing, painful erection. Turning to face the water, Harrison readjusted the water until it was ice cold.

* * *

Lester's forearms rested on the desktop, his fingers busy with unbending a paperclip. His eyes watched the process as if it were an earth-shattering event. Damn it, Lester threw the straightened piece of wire across the room. Where in the hell was she? Lester slumped back hard in his chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. Five highly trained professionals couldn't seem to find their asses with both hands, let alone one determined and lied-to woman. Blowing a long stream of air through his lips, Lester tried to calm his thoughts. Think, man; try to think like your opponent. At that thought, Lester started to laugh. He knew one person who could think like Stephanie Plum and that was Stephanie Plum, and maybe Mary Lou. Damn, why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

"Hello?" Mary Lou said loud enough to be heard over her sons fights.

"Um, Mary Lou? This is Lester Santos. One of Stephanie and Ranger's friends," Lester waited for Mary Lou to accept his introduction.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Santos?"

"Stephanie is missing and I need your help." Lester was hopeful that the direct approach would work fast enough to avoid the dreaded hang-up.

Mary Lou faltered for a moment. "How long has she been missing?"

"About four days," Lester answered. "We need some ideas on where she might have gone."

"We?" Anger was creeping into her voice, not a good sign.

Lester steeled himself for her hang-up, "Morelli, Bobby, Tank and me." Lester felt that for the moment it was wiser to keep Ranger dead and out of the picture.

Mary Lou wasn't sure how to answer the man's question. She had seen Stephanie a few times since Ranger's death and during those visits, she felt so removed from her friend that she wasn't sure she could be of any help. "What kind of help do you need from me?"

"Can you think of any place she might have gone? Someplace where she might go to get away from everyone?" He heard Mary Lou release a sigh into the phone.

"If Steph's pissed off about something, she doesn't hide from it, she goes after it." Shaking her head as she tried to think, Mary Lou continued. "She hides when she can't figure out what to do; if she has a plan, well, then she goes all out."

It was Lester's turn to sigh into the phone. That was the answer he was afraid she'd give him. "Well, thanks anyway. Would you please promise to call me or Morelli if you hear from her?"

"Yeah, sure," She wrote down Lester's phone number. "Promise me that you'll call when you find her."

"I promise and thanks again," Lester paused. "Um, Mary Lou? It would be better not to tell anyone that she's missing; at least for right now."

"Keep me posted and if anything happens to her, all of you dip-shits can say good bye to your balls." The sharp sound of a phone being slammed told Lester their conversation had ended.

Calling Mary Lou had seemed like such a great idea, now, standing at the window in the small office, Lester wished like hell he had never thought of it.

What was Stephanie planning on doing? What was she… wait a minute. Mary Lou had said that if Steph got pissed off enough and if she had a plan then…? If he had to name one thing that had caused Stephanie to feel like she had lost all control over her life, it would be Ranger's supposed 'death' and the person she believed responsible for it. That must be where Randy came into her plan. Son of a bitch, that had to be it, Lester thought as he lunged across the desk and grabbed his phone.

* * *

"Well, how do I look?" Stephanie turned in a complete circle, modeling her outfit for Randy. Randy watched and then shook his head.

"Like major trouble," Randy shot her an angry glare. "And I still think this is really a stupid idea."

"I know, Randy, you've made that quite clear. I'll be very careful; plus I'll have my cell phone." Stephanie knew he was right, it was stupid to go to the bar alone, but the sooner she found Mongrel the faster she could move on with her plan. "Randy, I promise to be careful, but just in case something happens to me, remember… go back home."

He ignored her comment.

"Go, I'll see you later," Randy continued to avoid eye contact with her.

Knowing there wasn't anything else she could say, Stephanie headed for the garage.

Randy heard the deep rumble of the Harley's engine. "Let the fun begin," he said to himself.

Evening light was taking over the sky as Stephanie parked the Harley outside of the Black Eye Bar. The parking lot was filled to capacity with every make and style of truck with just a few motorcycles on the side. You could feel the over-abundance of testosterone. Stephanie checked her hair in the large side mirror of a truck. Just pretend this is another distraction job, you can do this, she muttered under her breath.

The instant she stepped through the doorway, she was assaulted by loud music, cigarette smoke and the smell of stale beer. Steeling her resolve one last time, Stephanie began playing eye tag with the men.

"Well damn, Harley, I was beginning to think you were all talk and no show!" A voice called at her from behind. Stephanie turned and saw Ben from the construction site.

"Just wanted to make sure I looked good for you." With slow strides she walked in his direction, emphasizing the sway of her hips, knowing that the way the soft leather pants caressed her ass would draw a lot of attention. Sure enough, over the combination of loud music and conversation, whistles and crude descriptions of their male prowess could be heard. Ben allowed his eyes to drift down her long lean body and then back up.

Stopping a few inches from him, Stephanie found herself looking directly into his eyes. The heels on her leather boots measured three inches, making her 5'10". She was guessing Ben to be about 6'1".

"Harley, you sure do know how to bring a man to attention," Ben's eyes crinkled with amusement. "If you dance as well as you walk…" his eyes roamed across her face.

"Care to find out?" Stephanie challenged back, closing the last few inches between their bodies.

From across the room, Harrison watched as she danced, laughed and talked with almost every man in the bar. She gave each man her full attention when it was his turn as she played at her beer with slow, measured sips. She was beautiful and the leather outfit clung to every curve of her body. The way it accentuated that sweet heart-shaped ass of hers as she swayed to the music broke his concentration. Damn, he needed to focus.

As the music slowed to a stop, he watched Stephanie thank her partner and start back to the table she was sharing with Ben and some of the other workers from Triple H. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her back against him. Fisting his other hand in the hair at the back of her head, he angled her face as he prepared to kiss her. Ben and the other men at the table were on their feet as was Harrison and several other patrons.

As the man lowered his head to kiss her, Stephanie blew a wet sneeze into his face. The man released the hold he had of her hair and Stephanie twisted her body out of his grasp when he wiped his face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she was smiling at him, but Harrison noticed the balance of her stance and knew she was ready to fight. "Let me get you a napkin."

Glaring at her with hot anger the man forced the word 'bitch' through ugly clenched teeth.

Ben and the others at the table were laughing uncontrollably as she sat back down and took a sip of her warm beer. "Harley, that was the slickest thing I've seen in a long, long time," Ben said as he continued to laugh.

Stephanie lifted her mug in a salute. "Cheap cologne always makes me sneeze," she said with a wink and a smile that lit up her face. A second round of laughter broke out at her comment.

Harrison pressed his large body against the wall, using the small band of shadow to hide his face. The man Stephanie had sneezed on was leaving with two other men. Harrison watched as the three drunks staggered out the door.

Standing, Stephanie signaled to the waitress to bring another round for the table. She used the moment to glance around the room. All night she'd felt a constant tingle running up and down her spine, similar to how she felt when Ranger was close. It was the same feeling she'd had earlier when leaving the construction site. She glanced around again, but saw nothing unusual; maybe it was just the fact that she was the only woman in the bar.

Sitting back down, she decided to stay for another thirty minutes and then head back to the condo. She hadn't learned anything useful tonight, but she'd had some fun for the first time in a long time. She hoped she'd passed whatever test Ben was giving her. He knew something; he just wasn't ready to share it with her.

The waitress served the fresh drinks, collected the empty glasses and accepted the cash Stephanie held out to her. "Thanks," she said, tucking the money into the front pocket of her jeans as she moved on to the next table.

When the beers were half gone, Stephanie decided it was time to leave. "Well, guys, it's been fun." Pushing her chair back, she smiled at the small group of men that had been enjoying her company. "Thanks for a fun evening and I enjoyed the dances." All of the men began begging and pleading for her to stay. "Sorry, but I've got a busy day scheduled for tomorrow." Blowing a kiss to everyone at the table, Stephanie made her way to the restroom. There was no way she was going to make it back to the condo with a semi-full bladder and the heavy vibration of the motorcycle between her legs.

Outside into the cool night air Stephanie paused. Someone was watching her; she could feel it. She began turning her body in a slow circle as she surveyed the parking lot. Where are you? Stephanie reached inside the front pocket of her pantsas she took her first step away from the doorway of the bar.

When she pulled her hand out, it contained a small switchblade. Coming alone tonight may not have been smart, but she had long since stopped being anyone's fool. Ignition keys ready in her other hand, Stephanie walked in the direction of her bike, the gravel of the parking lot crunching under her boots.

She was almost to the Harley when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming up behind her. Stephanie felt the adrenaline starting to pump inside her as she turned to face her foe.

Harrison told himself he was making sure that she left and not just pretending to leave. He knew he was lying to himself; he knew the real reason was that he wanted to watch her as long as possible. He saw the three men move toward her from behind one of the parked trucks. Shit, she was turning to take them on!

With quick, silent steps, Harrison crept closer to the fight, staying in the shadows as he wove his way through the parked trucks. He could handle the two men closest to him; it was the third man off to the side, closer to Stephanie, that he'd have to rush for.

"I'll show you what happens to the bitch that spit in my face." The man took a step closer to Stephanie, raising his hand to slap her. The blade of her knife got the glow from the building's security lights as she slashed the sharp blade up the man's shirt. A line of red appeared from his waist to his shoulder, showing brighter across his expanding gut. With the elbow of her other arm, she drove it into the stomach of the second man with as much force as she could gather, following through with a strong punch to his nose with the back of her fist.

"You fucking cunt!" the cut man screamed. The third man of the group faltered long enough for Stephanie to reposition herself.

"That's enough boys, time to go home." Stephanie stepped back as the man she had jabbed in the stomach vomited. "Looks like your friend isn't feeling very well, so do us all a favor, take him home." Guessing that the cut man standing in front was going to repeat his foolishness, Stephanie changed her grip on the knife that was hidden down the side of her leg so that she held the blade by her thumb and forefinger. When the guy lunged for her, she flexed her knees and threw the knife underhanded, knowing she would hit her target. The man screamed and fell to the ground clutching his leg.

Harrison used that moment to spring from the dark shadows of the truck and tackled the remaining man.

Startled and unsure if someone was helping her or if she had another attacker, Stephanie saw the retching man's movements too late. Lunging for her lower legs as he knelt on his knees, she wasn't able to take hold of him to keep from falling backwards. The last thing she remembered was the sound of male grunts, the sharpness of the gravel as it bit into her back and then the world started to go fuzzy. No! She refused to give in to the darkness; she would not allow herself to pass out. Shaking her head, Stephanie attempted to sit up. She managed to roll over onto her side, willing her unsteady arms to raise her upper body off the ground. The longest legs she had ever seen appeared in front of her face.

Stephanie tried to steady her vision by closing one eye. All she accomplished was making things worse. The legs bent in half until their knees rested on the gravel and a gorgeous face came into view.

"Manoso has taught you well, my little Night Warrior." Stephanie tried to focus on the beautiful face with the beautiful voice. "Time I take you home and find out what other tricks you have learned from my old friend."


	13. Chapter 13

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 13**

Harrison lifted Stephanie's unconscious body from the front seat of his truck. Shutting the door with his foot, he turned and walked through the garage and into the kitchen. Without stopping, he continued through the house straight up to his master suite. Damn, she felt good in his arms. Harrison studied her face before laying her down on the bed. The sudden urge to kiss her soft, parted lips was almost overwhelming. Closing his eyes, he stood holding the woman in his muscular arms waist high above his bed as if she weighed nothing at all. The muffled sound of a ringing phone brought Harrison back.

He placed her down on top of his bed and began searching for the source of the ringing. It wasn't his cell phone or the house phone. Turning in the direction of the ringing, he snatched her purse off the floor where he had dropped it. Digging through the jumbled contents, his hand found her cell phone.

"Why?" he growled.

"Who is this?" a shaky male voice asked. "Where's Stephanie?"

"Stephanie's not available right now. Who's this?" Harrison was starting to lose what little patience he had left.

"Mongrel?" the other man's voice whispered.

"Who the fuck is this?" Harrison seethed into the phone. "Answer me."

"Let me talk to Steph," the other person's voice sounded with a little more bravado.

"She can't talk now, she's unconscious," Harrison waited. "Give me your name now or I'm hanging up."

"Randy. What happened?" The other man's voice faltered.

"She got into a fight and hit her head," Harrison looked down at the woman on his bed. "She'll be fine, but I'm going to keep her here tonight and no, she wasn't fighting me."

"Where's here?" Randy was sounding brave again.

"My house. This call is over." Harrison hit the end button and threw the phone back into the purse. Making sure that Stephanie's was resting in a safe position on his bed, he left the room to find his first aid kit in the bathroom. Something else of his that hadn't been used for a long time.

* * *

Randy wasn't sure how long he sat at the dining room table with the phone pressed to his ear, listening to the dial tone. Shit. What was he going to do now? Call Trenton? That would be the smart thing to do, but he had promised Stephanie that under no circumstances were they to contact anyone back home. Not unless she was dead.

Randy hopped off the chair and started pacing around the table. Maybe he should just forget his promise and call anyway. "No," he said aloud as he paced. He had to think. Okay, if Harrison was Mongrel and he'd taken her to his home, Randy knew Harrison's address. Randy started to feel a little calmer. If he didn't get a call back from Stephanie by morning then all promises were cancelled. He looked down at his cell phone; if he was forced to cancel his promise, all he had to do was press speed dial #9, which would connect him straight into RangeMan - Miami Division. But until then, maybe he could try and verify the location of Stephanie's phone.

* * *

Stephanie shivered as a feeling of coolness touched her back. Pulling her hand out from under the pillow, she reached down for the blanket. Not touching anything that felt like a blanket, she tried bending her body to the side to reach down farther without opening her eyes. Damn, still no blanket. She cracked one eye open. The room was unfamiliar and the lighting was bright.

"Damn!" She screamed and sat straight up when the coolness was replaced by sharp hot pain. Losing her balance, her body followed the sloping angle of the mattress and a large, hard immovable object stopped her from rolling off the bed. Both eyes now wide open, Stephanie gazed up into the same gorgeous face she remembered seeing in the parking lot.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," that same gorgeous voice answered.

Studying each other, the two tried freezing the moment by taking shallow breaths as if afraid any excess movement would break the spell. It worked until Stephanie was forced to take a deep breath because of the pain from her back.

"Damn!"

"You already said that," the gorgeous man said as he lifted her from the bed to his lap.

Twisting her body to look at him, Stephanie caught her reflection in the large dresser mirror across the room. From the waist up, her body was covered by the meagerness of her bra. She locked fiery eyes with the man.

"Who the fuck are you?" she asked, trying to find something to cover her front with. Not daring to take her eyes off him, she extended one long leg off the side of the bed and started to stand up.

With a quickness equaled to Ranger's, the man grabbed her by the waist and swung her back down on the bed, covering her with his body. He caught his weight on his forearms, resting one on each side of her shoulders. The shallow breaths they had used before to stop time were replaced with deep chest expanding breaths as each one fought the urge to devour the other.

"My name is Harrison."

"Get off me," Stephanie gasped and then held her breath as she felt his stiff erection throbbing against her thigh.

In the time it took her to blink, he was off her and had flipped her back over onto her stomach. Fearing his next move, Stephanie tried to remain calm. "Hold still," he growled. Stephanie closed her eyes, expecting the worst. "I'm just going to finish putting medicine on your back." Her sigh of relief was so forceful that she had no doubt that he felt it.

His fingertips touched her back with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. The coolness of the ointment entering the cuts caused her to flinch.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, it's just cold," Stephanie lied and reached to grab the pillow next to her. Tucking it under her head, she hid her clenched fists under it. She felt the bed shift as he stood.

"Please, hold still. I'm just going to get some larger band-aids," he voice had a nervousness to it. "And I'll try and find something for you to change into."

Stephanie's kept her face turned away from the man as she nodded; now was not the time to look at him. She heard his quiet footsteps walk away from the bed. She needed time; time to collect her thoughts and the strong urges she was feeling. His body wasn't the _only_ one to pick this awkward moment to reawaken.

* * *

Bobby visualized his friend's body language as he listened to Lester's excited voice over the phone. "So Mary Lou couldn't think of any place Steph might go?" Bobby asked.

"No, but she did say something else that started me thinking. I think she's trying to find out who hired The Worm," Lester stopped to take a breath. "What the hell she plans on doing after that, I have no idea. Not sure I want to."

"I'm with you on that!" Bobby released a short chuckle. "Let's hope we find her before she finds who she's looking for."

"Not sure if this idea will lead anywhere, but it sure beats sitting around with our thumbs up our asses," Lester sounded calmer. "How are things up your way?"

Sighing, Bobby chose his words with care. "Things are… okay. When this is over, you and the boss are going to have to start working out your problems." Bobby waited to see what Lester's reaction to his words would be. "Lester, I gotta know something; why? Why'd you go off like that, man?"

Lester knew he owed his friend some kind of answer, but how do you verbalize watching an emotion work a miracle? Especially an emotion you had never believed in. "The boss forgets that not everyone is like us. We've been trained to be hard, cold and untrusting. Stephanie isn't like that; she truly cares, believes in and loves other people. Hell, she's trusted us from the first day she met us. How many other people do we know like that?" Lester gave Bobby a chance to answer. No answer came from his friend. "She loved him, Bobby, and the son of a bitch lied to her."

"He lied to us, too," Bobby added.

"Shit, it's not the same," Lester sounded weary. "It was a survival decision, all of us should understand that, but not Steph, she loves a person one wayand that's with her whole heart and he just about killed her."

The two friends remained quiet and listened to the long distance between them. Bobby broke the silence. "Take care of yourself. I'll keep you posted."

"I will, call me if you run across anything," Lester answered back.

"You know I will," Bobby said before disconnecting. Damn, this was worse than he thought. Lester was in love with the Bombshell.

* * *

Harrison's right hand rested on the doorknob leading back into the suite, his left hand crushing the soft Italian silk nightshirt it held. He wanted and needed answers, but the night hadn't played out like he had hoped. Control, that's what he needed now, control over the situation. Blowing out a deep breath, he turned the knob and entered the room. Stephanie was sitting in the center of his large bed, holding a pillow up against her breasts, trying to cover them.

Shit, whom was he kidding; he needed to get control over his fucking libido. Exhaling a low breath through his nose over the sexual adjective he had chosen to use, Harrison stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Here, this should work." He tossed the nightshirt at her.

Stephanie ran her fingers back and forth, enjoying the fine soft texture of the silk. "Won't the owner of this mind?" She tossed it back to him.

Silence filled the room; Harrison reached his long arm down to pick it up. "She's dead," he said and threw it back in Stephanie's direction.

Speechless, Stephanie reached to pull the lingerie closer to her. "Sorry."

"So am I. Turn around and let me finish dressing your cuts."

Stephanie turned her back to him without any argument.

"When I'm done here, call your friend."

"Friend?" Stephanie turned her head and looked up into his face.

"Randy. He called on your cell phone while you were unconscious. He sounded worried." Harrison finished putting the last band-aid on her back.

"No need to call him, I'll see him as soon as I get home," Stephanie said as she started to get off the bed again.

"You're not leaving." His words were clipped with irritation. Leaning over, he picked up her bag and tossed it to her. "Call him; let him know that you're okay."

"I'm leaving."

"You're not leaving until I get some fucking answers." Harrison towered over her.

"Which one?" Stephanie rose up on her knees, challenging him with her eyes. "The fucking or the answers?"


	14. Chapter 14

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 14**

Confused, tense and sweating, Ranger sat upright in his bed. Fighting through his emotional disorganization of his mind, Ranger searched to find the reason his stomach was knotted with fear. Stephanie.

Slamming his naked back down onto the mattress, he stared up into the darkness shrouding the ceiling. Somehow he knew she was with another man. The longer he stared, the surer he became. "Forgive me, Babe," he whispered into the dark.

* * *

Stephanie and Harrison remained focused on each other. Stephanie's intentness was reinforced by sheer stubbornness, Harrison's by frustration laced with desire long denied. "I told you to call your friend," Harrison growled, stepping back from the bed and adding distance between them. "We'll talk in the morning." Turning, he stormed out the bedroom door.

Stephanie heard the soft click of the lock being turned from the outside. Leaping off the bed, Stephanie ran to the bedroom door and tried to open it. "Unlock this door, you bastard!" she screamed, yanking hard on the doorknob. "I mean it!"

"Tomorrow, my little Night Warrior, tomorrow." Harrison's voice faded as he walked away.

"Damn it." She kicked at the door. Crossing to the window, she pulled back the curtain and jumped back at seeing her reflection in the darkened pane. Automatically reaching for the window latch, her hand hesitated when she realized that the windowpane was all one piece and that there was a code panel on the side of it. Well, shit. Sighing with defeat, Stephanie walked to the bed and picked up her phone.

Punching in the condo's number, she waited for Randy to answer the phone. "Hello?" His voice sounded guarded.

"It's me," Stephanie said and heard Randy's heavy sigh.

"What the hell's going on?" he asked. "Are you all right? Is Harrison really Mongrel?"

Stephanie couldn't help but smile. "Slow down." Sitting on the edge of the bed she told him the night's details. "Looks like I'm stuck here for the night. Not sure when I'll be released tomorrow, but you can bet I'm going to get as many of my questions answered before I leave. You have Harrison's address, so if I'm not home by tomorrow night, call the police."

"Take care of yourself and keep me posted," Randy added. "Call me if you need help."

"Thanks, my friend, get some sleep," Stephanie yawned suddenly.

"Sounds like you need to get some sleep, too," Randy said. "Night."

Fatigue was rapidly causing her movements to become sluggish and her arms to feel as if they were made of lead. Slowed by her lack of manual dexterity, Stephanie struggled with the zipper of her pants. Mindful of her bandages, she unhooked her bra carefully before slipping the soft silk nightshirt over her head and then padded off for the bathroom.

Finished with most of her nightly bathroom routine, Stephanie glanced at the full-length image of her body in the mirror. The nightshirt was beautiful and the fit was almost perfect. She ran her hand over the wrinkles that Harrison's strong fist had bruised into the silk. His haunted words echoed in her head, _'she's dead'_. Stephanie knew the pain of those words. Turning the bathroom light off, she slowly reached the bed, crawled carefully under the covers and relaxed into the softness of the sheets in an instant.

Harrison sat slouched in the black leather chair behind his desk. Stretching his long legs out on the top of the desk, he crossed his ankles, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. Shit, the house had six bedrooms, why in the hell was he trying to sleep in a chair? He knew why. All the bedrooms were on the second floor and any of them would be too damn close to her.

* * *

Ranger walked into his office and, using the soft glow of dawn as his light, he navigated the distance to his desk and sat heavily in his chair.

"She has that effect on a man," a raspy voice rose from the direction of the couch. Joes' silhouette came into view as he sat up in one easy fluid movement.

Angry that he hadn't noticed the other man before now, Ranger struggled to stay under control. "Yes, she does."

"Well, looks like it's going to be another long day," Joe said as he stood and stretched his lean body. "Guess I'll take a shower and grab some coffee." Silently he left the room.

Ranger wrapped himself in the room's silence as he thought back over the dream that had awakened him. Was this to be his payback for lying to the woman he loved? To always be haunted by her? Closing his eyes, he lowered his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair. "Forgive me, Babe."

* * *

For the second day in a row, Bonnie knew the instant she entered the house that morning that something was different. She had been Harrison's housekeeper for the last six years and could tell just from the house's vibrations that something had changed since yesterday.

All of Harrison's cars were in the garage and the alarm was properly set. She still entered the kitchen with care and reached for the kitchen phone to carry with her as she checked the house. Cautiously checking each room, she made her way down the hall toward Harrison's office. Standing quietly outside the open door, she saw his long body twisted out between the chair and the desktop. Bonnie decided to continue her search up the stairs.

Making her way down the hall, glancing into each bedroom, nothing was amiss until she came to the master suite and found that the door was locked. Who was inside? Had Harrison brought a woman home with him? Walking away from the door backwards, Bonnie took refuge inside one of the other bedrooms and quickly punched in a familiar number into the phone. It was answered on the second ring.

"Good morning." The smoothness of his voice always caused her to shiver.

"General? It's Bonnie," Bonnie whispered into the phone.

The man on the other end of the call smiled. "Yes, Bonnie, how can I help you this morning?"

"He fell asleep in his office chair last night," Bonnie continued in a hushed tone.

Frowning now, the General asked, "Again? He hasn't done that for over a year, what caused his regression?" Without waiting for her answer, he asked another question, "Is he all right?"

"He appears to be all right, but the doors to the master suite are locked. I think there's a woman in there," Bonnie's words were rushed.

"Finally," the General smiled as he said the word.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"Don't worry, Bonnie. I think he'll be okay," the man said. "Just pretend everything is normal, let him tell you what's going on. I think you'll get better answers out of him."

Bonnie pulled the phone away from her ear to look at it and then brought it back to her ear. "Sure. I'll keep you posted." Bonnie rolled her eyes and then disconnected the call. Damn, all these years she had thought the General was smart as well as handsome. Now she knew the truth. If he thought she'd get better answers by acting like nothing was different he was just plain stupid.

She'd get answers to her questions, but she'd do it her way. As she started down the stairs, she heard the door to the garage closing. Harrison was up. She knew he had heard her when she arrived, but for some reason, had chosen to pretend to be asleep. He'd be running for at least thirty minutes, just enough time for her to get things ready.

Bonnie saw the small pile of Harrison's clothes in the laundry room where he had changed before going out to run. Strange, he was always such a neat man. Frowning, she bent to pick them up. Bonnie had already decided that the occupant of the locked room was a woman and whoever she was, she was messing with Harrison's mind.

* * *

Tank looked at his friend and wondered how much rest he had gotten last night; from the look of him, none. Shit, maybe it was time for some more of Morelli's medicine.

"Ric, did you get any sleep last night?"

"Some," Ranger answered and continued reviewing some papers for RangeMan. Putting the papers down on the desk, Ranger looked at Tank and released a sigh. "I had a dream last night about Stephanie. I couldn't sleep afterwards."

"Want to talk about it?" Tank asked.

"No." The word was already out of Ranger's mouth before Tank had a chance to finish the question.

"Fine." Both men shifted their attention as Bobby entered the room.

Bobby looked at Ranger and then at Tank. Ranger looked like shit and Tank looked worried. Same old shit as yesterday. "I talked to Lester late last night." Bobby watched as both men eagerly waited for him to continue. "He talked to Mary Lou yesterday. She hasn't seen or heard from Steph, but the way she said something started Lester thinking."

"Didn't you question Mary Lou earlier?" Ranger asked hotly.

"We did, but didn't tell her that Stephanie was missing. She hasn't spoken to

Steph in over a week," Tank replied calmly. "What did Lester come up with?"

Bobby relayed the entire conversation almost verbatim, ending with "Lester thinks that Stephanie is planning on going after the guy who hired The Worm."

"Oh fuck," Joe said from the doorway.

* * *

Harrison came into the kitchen and found Bonnie hard at work. "Fresh clothes are in the cabaña bath, hurry up before breakfast gets cold and your guest gets impatient." She turned slightly to catch a glimpse of his expression. "Go on, get moving!" Like an obedient child, Harrison did what he was told. Bonnie smiled; men were so easy to deal with when they were confused.

The faint aroma of fresh coffee had Stephanie's nose emerging from under the covers. "Mmm," she flung the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Moving her upper body to follow her legs, Stephanie was reminded of the cuts on her back. "Crap!" Using a little more care than before, she stood and headed for the bathroom.

Harrison wasn't sure how Bonnie had gained the upper hand with breakfast, but he had to admit it was a better approach than the one he had; his plan was just to start demanding answers to his questions. Setting the breakfast-laden tray down, Harrison unlocked the door.

Stephanie was trying to bring her unruly locks under enough control so that she could see when she heard the bedroom door open. Furiously she pulled the bathroom door open, stomping into the bedroom ready to do battle and then stopped short. The second most gorgeous man she had ever seen was standing in front of her with a breakfast tray complete with a flower.

He watched her walk toward him. She was so damn beautiful with her long, lean, attractive legs and slim hips. Breasts swayed lushly under the silk, nipples softly peaked and her face was framed by a circlet of riotous curls.

The fierce determination she showed made her eyes all the bluer. All he could do was stand still, hold the tray and drink in the sight of her.

Clearing his throat, Harrison tried to speak, "How's your back?"

"Where are my clothes?" Stephanie asked.

Sighing, Harrison raised the tray up in front of her face, "Eat or Bonnie will kill me."

Stephanie's stomach growled loud enough to cause her to blush as she surveyed the wonderful morsels on the tray, so much for appearing mean. "Who's Bonnie?" Stephanie reached for a huge flaky croissant.

"She's my housekeeper. Nosey as hell," Harrison said with good humor. He set the tray down on a small table next to the boudoir chaise lounge. "Sit down and eat while we talk."

Feeling awkward, Stephanie sat on the chaise folding one leg underneath her, trying to reduce her feeling of exposure as he continued to gaze at her. Harrison poured them both a cup of coffee, taking his with him as he sat on the end of the bed.

"Why did Manoso send you here?" Harrison's voice became direct.

"I don't know anyone named Manoso," Stephanie whispered and looked down at the tray.

"Don't lie to me, Stephanie," Harrison's tone turned firmer.

Stephanie's head shot up, revealing her flashing eyes. "Don't call me a liar and I don't know anyone by that name."

"I watched the way you used your knife last night. I know one person who held a knife that way and that was Ric Manoso. Told me a three-fingered man had taught him how to use a knife when he was a little shit," Harrison saw the flash of pain in Stephanie's face each time he said Manoso's name. "Why? Why did he send you to me?" Harrison asked, but not as forceful this time.

She knew the man was speaking the truth, Ranger had told her that he was a small kid and about the three-fingered man. "He didn't," she answered. "Ric did his own fighting." She glowered a direct look into Harrison's eyes. "Are you Mongrel?"

"Did?"

"What?" Stephanie shook her head, not understanding.

"You said, he 'did' his own fighting."

"Ric was killed," again, pain flashed across her face. "Are you the man he called Mongrel?"

"Yes."

Great, another man with one word answers Stephanie mused. "I need your help."

"What makes you think I'd be willing to help you?" Harrison found it hard to keep his words even as he watched her stand and walk over to him; taking the empty coffee cup from his hand Stephanie set it on the small table.

Turning back in his direction, she stopped with her legs inside his knees. "Because it seems I have something you're very interested in."


	15. Chapter 15

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 15**

Harrison sat frozen as he watched the slow decent of Stephanie lips to his, unable to draw his eyes away. When the tip of her tongue peeked out between her lips to moisten them, his fingers wove in and around her rebellious curls as he pulled her mouth down to his. Her lips were so soft, so pink, so close…

Stephanie found herself on her back with Harrison's heavy body on top. She wasn't sure which was harder to do from her new position, breathing or concentrating. She wriggled her hips against Harrison's taut body. Nope, not the hardest thing, but it was becoming the most urgent. Dragging in a ragged breath garnered her enough oxygen to maintain another minute of conscious thought. She opened her mouth to demand answers and then thought better of it. She waited, forcing Harrison to speak first.

"Who or what has hurt you so bad that you are willing to prostitute yourself in order to get my help?" his words were soft, yet angry, as his ice blue eyes searched her face.

Despite her most valiant effort to maintain a cold, professional demeanor, tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. With lightning speed that seemed more natural than learned, Harrison raised his body off her and stood looking down. When he reached his hand out, Stephanie accepted it and he pulled her up into a standing position. His hold lingered for a few seconds; he released his hold on her hand, slow, one finger at a time. They stood so close that if she drew in a deep breath, Stephanie was sure that her breasts would brush against his lower chest. She drew that breath and heard Harrison gasp.

As he stepped back from her, she heard frustration in his whisper, "I'll have Bonnie find you some clothes," Harrison strode toward the closet doors. "Until then, put this on." Tossing a man's terry cloth robe at her, she reached out to catch it. "When you're ready, come down to my office, last door on the right at the bottom of the stairs." She blinked, and he was gone.

Great, just great. She had the length of a flight of stairs to come up with a plausible story and to hope like hell that he would believe it. She had learned several new skills over the past few months, but telling a believable lie wasn't one of them. Stephanie tied the robe around her waist and walked out of the bedroom. Standing at the top of the stairs, she pushed the long sleeves up her arms to expose her hands as she counted the steps and then rolled her eyes. Who would build a house, correction, a mansion, with a flight of stairs that had twelve steps? There was no way could she come up with a respectable story in just twelve steps.

* * *

Joe couldn't remember the last time he'd said something that had drawn such unswerving attention. Standing in the doorway, he tried to speak, but found his mouth too dry to form the words.

"Who?" Ranger seethed the word through compressed lips.

"Anthony Baratoli," Joe's voice returned with an edge.

"_The Bear_?" Bobby yelled. Joe nodded.

"Damn, that woman can get into the ugliest messes," Tank shook his head.

Ranger's cold expression didn't change, nor did his eyes leave Joe's face. His one word was quiet and even when he spoke. "Details."

Joe pushed away from the doorway and walked into the room. He slumped down onto the couch, telling them everything he knew about _The Bear_ in a slow, succinct manner. When he finished, a quiet heaviness filled the office as each man absorbed the information.

Tank was the first one to speak. "If Lester's right about her seeking revenge against _The Bear_, she's in a world of trouble."

"Do you really think she'd try something like that?" Bobby asked.

The other three men in the room turned in unison to look at him, the same look on each of their faces. "Right, we are talking about one pissed off Stephanie Plum who knows how to shoot, thanks to me," Bobby smiled with pride.

"Bobby, call Lester and update him with Morelli's information," Ranger commanded. "Tank, you and Morelli start digging on Baratoli. I want to know where he is and what he's doing and I want it yesterday. One last thing, remember I'm supposed to be dead. Leave me that way. It might come in handy if Lester's right."

Three cell phones were being dialed as the men stood to leave. Knowing that each of them would move heaven and earth to obtain the information he had requested, Ranger allowed himself a few moments of thought. Bobby was right. During the four months he had been gone, there had been considerable changes in Stephanie.

In hindsight, it was easy to see when she'd started planning. After suffering severe depression for six weeks, she 'recovers' and spends the next six weeks training three times as hard as necessary to improve her skills.

The day she jumped back into life was the day she'd put her plan into action. Given the trouble they were having in locating her, it was obvious that she'd put a lot of thought and preparation into it.

Shaking his head in disgust at his stupidity, Ranger's hands fisted with rage. He would find her; he would beg her forgiveness and he would do whatever it took to make up for all the pain and anguish he had caused her in the last few months. He sealed his vow by smashing both fists down hard on top of the desk.

* * *

Stephanie stood in the doorway of Harrison's office, running her fingers back and forth against the knobby texture of the robe's belt. She watched as Harrison listened to the person on the other end of his phone call, not sure if she should enter or wait until he was finished. "Thanks, Ben. Keep me posted."

Harrison swerved his chair in her direction as he disconnected. With a graceful move of his hand, he directed her to the chair across from his desk. Stephanie was distracted for a second as her bare feet left the soft deep pile of the carpet to touch the smooth silkiness of the Oriental rug covering the office floor. Looking down at her feet, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful pattern and colors of the rug. Harrison's movement to close the office door drew her eyes back up as she lowered herself into the chair.

"Now, Ms. Stephanie Plum, let's see if we can make some progress on answering my questions." Harrison's eyes held a hint of amusement as he looked at her. When he'd said her last name, she had narrowed her eyes, realizing that he had done some checking of his own.

"This couldn't wait until after I've had a shower and finished my breakfast?" Stephanie knew it was a weak attempt at delaying their little discussion, but descending those twelve steps of the stairway hadn't proved to be very inspiring.

He smiled and Stephanie felt her breath hitch. Harrison's handsome features became even more handsome as his smile transformed him from a somber looking person to someone who didn't have a care in the world.

"Ms. Plum, I'm certain that if I gave you additional time to concoct a story, I'd waste precious time checking out worthless information and it would take us twice as long to get back to this point again."

She forced herself to remember her objective. "You're right." Taking in a nervous breath, Stephanie tailored her thoughts. "My nightmare started the night Ranger was killed." Stephanie's eyes drifted from his face and back down to her bare feet.

As she told Harrison the long painful story, she watched as her big toe traced around and around one of the Oriental swirls in the carpet's design. Reaching the end of her story, her body stilled, even her foot. She felt drained.

"I'm sorry for your loss," his words were tender.

Stephanie raised her head to look at him, but found him staring out the window, lost in his own pain. Funny how one suffering person could always recognize another; they all have the same empty reflection in their eyes.

"I'm sorry for yours," Stephanie felt the need to let him know she understood his pain. "Now that I've answered your questions, I think it's your turn to answer mine." She waited for his attention to return to the inside of the room.

He turned his head away the window and nodded. "You can ask, but I can't guarantee I'll answer them."

"Ranger wouldn't tell me why he called you 'Mongrel'; he said it would be better to ask you if I ever had the chance. I guess this is my chance," Stephanie waited to see if he'd answer.

Harrison released a snort of a laugh from deep inside his throat. "Damn, we were the best; Ric, the BLT boys and me." Stephanie shook her head. That was one nickname she would never get used to. "As you can see, I'm not of Cuban or African American decent. Both of my parents were from Swedish ancestry," Harrison paused to entertain a private thought. "At first, that's what they called me, Swede. But then when the five of us started working together and I was so different, the 'odd man out' of the group, Ric came up with Mongrel."

"But why? You're the exact opposite," Stephanie asked.

"Exactly. Ric would tease me about having such a pure pedigree and being stuck working with a bunch of mixed breeds. It wasn't true; he wanted everyone to think of him as the mean badass leader and not the son of loving and caring parents who were proud of their Cuban heritage. He thought it would be detrimental to the image he had created. It allowed him to be stronger in his command." Harrison had to smile at the confused look on Stephanie's face. "Hard to imagine Ric insecure? He wasn't as far as the commanding part went; it was being responsible for the other four lives on our team that he worried about the most. He felt that by being a badass leader, we'd all have a greater chance of living through whatever mission we were sent out on. Worked; we all came home."

Both Stephanie and Harrison spent a few minutes lost in their own thoughts. Stephanie braved another question, one that she wasn't sure he would answer. "I knew Ranger for three years and in all that time, he mentioned your name once. Why?"

Harrison sagged back in his chair, studying the woman sitting across from him. And then he decided to tell her the truth; something only Ric, Tank and he knew. "When we returned to the States after our last assignment, Ric, Tank and I went into business together. The set-up was something along the lines of personal protection for those who found themselves facing dangerous or life-threatening situations. The RangeMan prototype if you will. We were very successful, not just because we were well trained, but because we were cocky." Harrison paused to take a deep, bracing breath. "As fate would have it, I met a woman, Victoria, fell in love and we got married. My parents wanted me to take over the family business here in Miami, but I wanted to continue working with Ric and Victoria just wanted me to be happy, so I continued to work with Ric."

"One night, we ran into some trouble and I was shot in the shoulder. Victoria didn't panic or make any comments about my job, but the look of fear on her face caused me more pain than the bullet. The next month we found out that Victoria was pregnant and I quit. Ric understood the reasons for my resignation and he suggested that I spend some time teaching Victoria a few self-defense moves, how to be aware of her surroundings and how to shoot a gun. I told him that I didn't want her experiencing any part of the violent life I was leaving and to keep his nose out of my business."

Stephanie remained quiet, waiting for him to continue. There had to be more to this story. When it appeared he wasn't going to continue, she prompted him. "And?"

"And life was perfect for the next couple of years. I took over the family business, came home each night to my loving wife and beautiful daughter." Standing, Harrison walked to the window. "Victoria wanted to have dinner on our boat under the stars for her birthday." Harrison's voice thickened and his words came slower. "We drove separate cars, I was coming from the office and she and Emma were coming from home." I got there first; Victoria arrived about thirty minutes later. She was lifting Emma out of her car seat when a car cruised by." Harrison rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "It was like watching a real life nightmare in slow motion. As soon as I saw the car, I knew I had seen it pass by earlier when she pulled into the lot. As she raised Emma up into her arms and was shutting the car door, I swear I saw the bullet leave the gun. She fell to her knees, still clutching Emma in her arms. One shot… one bullet… killed them both."

Stephanie closed her eyes, remembering the scene in her parking lot. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Ric and the boys came down for the services. Ric offered to find the person responsible for Victoria and Emma's death," Harrison drug his hands through his sandy hair. "I refused Ric's help. I told him that whoever killed Victoria was in all likelihood someone from my past and if they wanted to try for me, I hoped they'd succeed. I told him that he had no idea how to live like a normal person that he had forgotten how to love someone and that I never wanted to see or speak to him as long as I lived. I told my best friend that I hated him." Harrison rested his forehead against the windowpane. "Ric was right, if I had taught her a few simple things, maybe she would have noticed the car… maybe…" His voice caught in his throat.

Well, that explained why Ranger didn't do relationships, Stephanie thought. "Knowing didn't save his life," she was surprised at the strength of her voice. "He knew and he still died."

Harrison turned and stared at her from across the room. "What are you planning to do and why do you need my help?" His face had taken on the look of smooth carved stone.

Stephanie looked down at her folded hands resting in her lap. This was the defining moment of her plan; though sitting in his home and in his bathrobe wasn't how she had pictured explaining it to him. "I want you to help me locate and gain access to Anthony Baratoli."

"You want me to help you find _The Bear_?"

Stephanie swore under her breath that if he started laughing; she would throw the heaviest thing she could get her hands on.

"Suppose I agree and we succeed what then?"

"Then you're done."

Harrison continued to stare at her and she watched his eyes fill with anger. "You're planning to kill him, aren't you?" He paced between the window and his desk. "By yourself? Are you crazy?"

"Yes, yes and no." Stephanie's answer stopped him in mid-stride.

Harrison looked at her, her blue eyes shining bright with determination. She would do this with or without him. She'd die if she attempted it alone. Maybe this was a way he could cleanse himself of the guilt he felt for the way he'd treated Ric. Maybe by helping her, he could keep her safe. "I'll help you, but on two conditions."

"Name them," Stephanie said without hesitation.


	16. Chapter 16

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 16**

Lester scanned the parking garage more out of habit than necessity. His mind was busy filtering through the information Bobby had just relayed to him. The whereabouts of Anthony Baratoli were still unknown, but it was only a matter of time. Once they knew his location, they were hoping they'd be able to locate Stephanie. Provided his theory was correct.

Lester didn't agree with Ranger's decision to keep his 'death' alive. Then again, he didn't agree with most of Ranger's recent decisions. Once this was over, he would have to give some serious thought to their relationship, both business and as friends.

Lester slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Right now, the main thing he needed to concentrate on was finding Stephanie. He'd deal with the other shit later.

Exiting the shadowed parking garage, Lester settled his mirrored sunglasses on his face as the car entered the bright Miami sunshine. Waiting for a break in the traffic, Lester debated whether he should go to the office or start working the streets. He wasn't sure he could stand sitting in the office again today, plus he would just be duplicating the phone efforts that Bobby and the others were doing. The streets it is, he decided and turned left out of the garage. At least he'd be covering different ground. Maybe he should start with a visit to the General.

* * *

Randy woke with a groan. He'd fallen asleep sitting at the dining room table using his keyboard as a pillow. He had a killer headache and his hands were numb from lack of proper circulation. Coaxing his stiff joints and muscles back to life, he eased himself off the chair. First, he needed some coffee and a hot shower. Second, he needed to call Stephanie, find out what kind of information she had learned last night and make sure she was, in fact**,** okay. Randy walked into the kitchen to start the coffee. Might as well make it strong, this could prove to be a very long day.

* * *

Harrison ceased pacing between the window and the desk and stood with his back to the window. With the mid-morning sun at his back, Harrison knew that she would find it hard to read his expressions while hers would be all the easier to read.

He hesitated just long enough with his answers to make sure he had her full attention. There would be no negotiating, no bargaining.

"First condition, I'm in from beginning to end." He waited for her reaction. She remained calm, her eyes fixed with his, no other reaction. He smiled inwardly, seeing a quick glimpse of the Manoso he had known so well in her silent gaze. Ric had trained her well, but not well enough to know that this whole idea of hers was too dangerous for just one person whose sole purpose was motivated by revenge. As a favor to his old friend, Harrison planned to keep her alive and out of prison.

Studying his tall, powerful body silhouetted against the window, Stephanie was finding it almost impossible to concentrate on keeping her body relaxed and her breathing even. She was sure he was expecting a reaction from her and so far, she'd been successful and hadn't lost her temper; unfortunately, despite her best efforts, her hormones were raging a temper tantrum of their own.

Ranger had taught her not to make any decision, if possible, until after she had as much information as possible. Harrison wasn't getting any decision from her until she heard condition number two.

Clearing his throat, Harrison started to speak. "The second condition is…" The ringing of a phone interrupted him. He narrowed his eyes when Stephanie took a deep breath and pulled the small cell phone from the pocket of the robe.

"Morning, Randy." She said, not bothering to hide her conversation from Harrison. "I'm fine. Yes, I'm sure. Call me back in a couple of hours. Okay." She ended the call and tucked the phone back inside the pocket. Folding her hands in her lap, the calm mask her face had been wearing throughout their conversation returned. "You were saying?"

"Randy who?"

"No one you need to know about at the moment."

"One of the first rules Ric would have impressed upon you would have been that you don't keep information from your partner." Harrison's voice was gaining a note of irritation.

"Information was the last thing Ranger shared and I wasn't aware that we were partners." Stephanie battled back. She really needed another cup of coffee. "I haven't heard your second condition or agreed to either one of them, yet."

Harrison frowned at her through narrowed eyes. "Second condition is that you move in here with me, today."

Stephanie fought against the urge to leap out of the chair and to start screaming at him. "Excuse me?" Stephanie raised her hand to stop him from answering. "Weren't you the one who brought up the matter of me prostituting myself?"

"That's not what I had in mind." Harrison's tone was blistering as he slammed the palm of one of his large hands down onto the desktop, causing Stephanie to flinch. "I need to see how skilled you are in taking care of yourself; I need to know that you're in a secured environment, but most important we need to start partnering".

"Partnering?" Stephanie almost laughed. "Is that the 'pedigree' way of saying you want to fuck me?"

Closing his eyes, Harrison took a calming breath. "No, Ms. Plum that is not what I mean. If your information is correct, we have three days until the Baratoli wedding and I need to learn as much about your capabilities, habits and body language as I can in that short time. And you mine. The quicker and more accurate we can read each other's nuances, the better our chances of staying alive." Harrison watched as Stephanie's expression changed, he could sense that she was beginning to accept his plan. "Our first priority in this mission is to get you moved in."

"I haven't agreed to your conditions yet," Stephanie's voice rang with false politeness.

"I thought you wanted my help?"

Even knowing her chances for success would be higher if she accepted both of his conditions; she still struggled to give her answer. She did need his help; determination would only get her so far. "Fine, when Randy calls back, I'll have him pick me up, go back to the condo to pick up my stuff and be back later tonight."

"I've got a better idea. Call Randy, tell him you're on your way back, go over the plan with him, get your stuff and be back here as soon as you can. We start working right away and we're going out tonight."


	17. Chapter 17

**Payback**

**Chapter 17**

"We start right now, we're going out tonight," Stephanie mimicked Harrison's voice as she stomped up the stairs to the bedroom. "Ask a man for one small favor and what happens? He takes over."

"Never fails," a voice said from inside the bedroom. Stephanie's stomps became faltering steps as she crept into the room, looking for the person who went with the voice. The person was a petite woman, close to her mother's age with dark hair and warm eyes. She finished smoothing the pillowcase and making the bed, then turned to Stephanie and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Bonnie, Harrison's housekeeper." Stepping around the foot of the bed, she walked toward Stephanie with her hand offered.

Unsure of how Harrison had explained her presence, Stephanie shook Bonnie's hand. "I'm Stephanie."

"Very nice to meet you, Stephanie, is there anything I can get for you?" Bonnie asked.

Stephanie smiled to herself as she thought that asking for a baseball bat to beat Harrison senseless with might be asking a little too much from someone she'd just met, so she settled on addressing a more immediate problem. Stephanie looked down at the oversized robe that was cinched tight around her waist.

"Umm, Harrison said you might be able to find me some clothes."

"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult, I'll be right back." Bonnie picked up the breakfast tray as she started for the door. "Doesn't look like you got a chance to eat much, would you like me to fix you something?"

"No, thanks," Stephanie answered.

Bonnie nodded and smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you take a shower, I'll just put the clothes on the bed."

"Thanks, Bonnie, that's very nice of you," Stephanie said.

Bonnie paused at the doorway to flash another smile in Stephanie's direction. "Well, it was also very nice to meet you, Stephanie."

Stephanie arched her brow a bit at Bonnie's last statement, but let it slide as she heard the bedroom door close. Aches from last night's fight and tension from this morning's conversation made a nice, hot shower sound perfect.

Stephanie turned and made her way into the master bath. She looked at the Jacuzzi and longed to try it; maybe later, she thought. Stripping off the robe and silk nightshirt, she stepped into the fine spray emitting from the multiple showerheads. Omigod, this was sinful.

The instant the hot water touched her body; her aching muscles began to relax. Dropping her head back, the gentle spray of water splashed on her face before continuing downward. Her mind whirled with bits and pieces of what Harrison had said that morning. Harrison was getting to her, getting under her skin and there was no way she could let that happen. The one way to eliminate Baratoli and to survive was to think of this as a job. Not revenge. Not anger. Not hormonal. She needed to be professional, cold, detached… a killer.

"Christ," Stephanie whispered. "How many times did you have to do something like this, Ranger? How did you do it? Would you approve of what I'm doing?" She closed her eyes and rested her head against the shower wall. Damn Harrison and his conditions. She would do whatever was necessary to finish what she had set out to do. If Harrison needed to think he was in charge, well, that was just fine. Agreeing to his conditions was one thing, but honoring them was another.

Shutting off the water, Stephanie wrapped a soft towel around her hair and its larger twin around her wet body. She would bet that Harrison had a plan of his own. A plan he thought would keep her from killing Baratoli. Well, that was one plan of his that wasn't going to happen!

A cool wave of air swept over her as she opened the bathroom door. On the bed, a beautiful light blue sleeveless dress was displayed like a piece of art; Stephanie touched the silky-smooth softness of the fabric with the tip of her index finger. Her finger paused and then she pulled her hand back, wondering if the dress had belonged to Harrison's wife. A soft knock sounded on the door. She hesitated before she turned in the direction of the door.

"Stephanie, may I come in?"

Stephanie opened the door and stepped aside so that Bonnie could enter the room with another tray. "I brought you some fresh coffee."

"Thanks," Stephanie hesitated, not sure how to ask the next question. "Uhm, Bonnie, uhm, the dress. It wasn't…"

"Wasn't what?" Bonnie pinched her eyebrows together, trying to understand the question. Seeing the look of embarrassment on Stephanie's face, Bonnie realized what Stephanie was trying to ask. "Oh my, no, the dress belongs to Harrison's sister. She keeps some clothes here so she doesn't have to pack so much when she comes to visit."

"Oh, good, I just…." Stephanie started and then stopped. "Would you happen to have a pair of sandals or flip flops I can wear? All I have are my boots."

Bonnie looked down at Stephanie's feet. "No problem, we look about the same size and I have the perfect pair of slides downstairs. Don't worry, just get dressed. " Bonnie patted her arm as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Harrison was in the kitchen when Bonnie returned. "I take it you've met Stephanie?"

"Yes, Harrison, I introduced myself." Bonnie watched his face with a maternal eye. "She's very nice and very attractive."

Harrison exhaled in mock disgust. "Don't be fooled, Bonnie. She may seem nice, but she took on three men by herself last night. Kicked two of their butts pretty handily, too." Harrison wasn't aware that a small smile was playing on his lips. "Give the keys to the Jag to her. She's going to pick up her stuff and bring it back here; she'll be staying here for a few days." He looked at Bonnie. Bonnie remained silent and kept her face as blank as possible. She had questions, lots of them, but she'd wait to ask them.

"I've agreed to help her with… something," Harrison stammered, not sure how to explain Stephanie's madness. "I'll be back later, tell her… I had to meet someone about… some information."

Bonnie's quiet pose was rattling him. She never bothered to hold back her opinion and he'd expected innumerable questions about Stephanie. He opened the door leading into the garage. "I should be back in two or three hours and I'd like her to be back by then," Harrison called as he left, shutting the door behind him.

Bonnie stood staring at the closed door with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Stephanie," she whispered.

"For what?" Bonnie yelped and spun around. "Sorry, Bonnie, I didn't mean to scare you."

Patting her chest with her hand, Bonnie laughed. "It does one's heart good to get a kick like that every now and then. I put the sandals over there." Bonnie pointed at a pair of stunning tan slides with blue stones decorating the straps.

Stephanie slid her foot into one of the sandals and smiled. "Perfect! Thank you so much!"

Bonnie reached for the set of keys Harrison had left on the counter. "Here, Harrison said to give you these, they're for the Jaguar and he'd like you to be back here in about three hours."

"Where did he go?"

"He said he had to meet someone about some information." Bonnie watched with interest when Stephanie's face grew more and more irate.

Spinning around in the direction of the door, Stephanie muttered, "Partner, my ass."

Bonnie held back a giggle as she watched the door close. "Oh, I hope he does."

* * *

The General sat outside on the patio of his condo, enjoying the late afternoon sun. Swirling his sweating glass of ice tea, he watched the ice cubes as they floated in a circular pattern. Amazing, he'd had two visits on the same day from two old friends, both seeking information unrelated to the other's, yet something about their urgency told him they were looking for the same thing.

Glancing up, the old man saw the black Jaguar exiting the complex. The woman had arrived minutes after Lester had left. It was Harrison's car, he recognized the license plate, and figured the driver was the woman Bonnie had called about that morning. Harrison had been alone too long; he would give the young man a chance to tell him about his female visitor.

What worried him was not who she was, but who the person Harrison had wanted information on - Anthony Baratoli. The General shook his head as his thoughts continued. Lester had refused to talk about what was going on in Trenton, which in itself, was very unusual. Harrison had been out of the game for too many years, why was he asking questions now? The young man hadn't shared his reasons for his visit, he was only interested in information. Too many coincidences in one day, the General thought, first Lester then Harrison and now this unknown woman. Somehow he felt it was all connected. Finishing his ice tea, he stood; the best way to find the connection was by gathering some information of his own. Dumping what ice still remained in the glass upon the ground, he turned to go back inside. He might as well get started.

* * *

Bonnie came down the stairway and saw Harrison holding a large dress box in front of one of the sliding glass doors, all of his attention centered on watching Stephanie swimming lap after lap in his pool. The black bikini she wore showed off her toned body to perfection.

"She was so tense when she returned that I felt it would be a good way for her to unwind," Bonnie said as she stood next to Harrison. "Why don't you join her?" Bonnie didn't look at him as she spoke.

Without answering, Harrison passed the large box to Bonnie, leaving her with a contented smile on her face.

Stephanie surfaced in the shallow end of the pool to catch her breath; feeling the water undulating around her body is small waves. She wiped the water from her eyes and turned to watch Harrison's sleek muscular form spearing through the water in her direction. Reaching but not touching her, he stood and pushed his hair back out of his eyes. Breathless, they stared at each other, each of them wanting to touch, but too scared to let their emotions come to life. Their eyes were drawn to the small rivulets of water running down each other's chest.

Stephanie watched the small drops of water zigzag over the perfect plains of his chest. Her eyes darkened as they followed the trails of water speeding down the center grove of his abs until it tangled with the fine line of dark blonde hair leading down below the relaxed waistband of his trunks.

Harrison watched as the droplets tracked down her skin, starting at her shoulders then gaining speed as they connected with other drops to flow over the curves of her breasts, their descent skittering off track by the rising and falling of her chest until the mingled drops disappeared into the crevice of her cleavage.

Stephanie's control over her body's needs broke first. She stepped closer and touched Harrison's arm. He pulled her close against him. Their first kiss was soft, as was the second. The third kiss was like liquid fire.

The heat of the kiss against the coolness of the water caused their emotions to ignite, releasing the needs of their restrained desires. Both became conscious of where their actions were leading and moved apart with reluctance.

"I'm sorry," Harrison whispered.

Unsure of what to say or do, Stephanie nodded her head and started for the pool's edge. Her body was trembling as she climbed out of the water; she snatched up the towel she had dropped onto the chaise. She kept her back to Harrison as she wrapped the towel around her. When she started walking toward the house, the sound of Harrison's voice stopped her.

"Stephanie." She waited for him to continue without turning around. "We need to talk about tonight."

"Later."

"We leave in three hours."

Stephanie still refused to look back at him; she wasn't sure she was strong enough to resist being drawn back into the fire they had ignited. "I'll be ready."

She ran up the stairs and into the guest room she had asked Bonnie's permission to use instead of Harrison's bedroom. Stephanie leaned back against the closed door, her knees still weak. How could she betray Ranger's memory? Silent tears spilled through her lashes when she realized she needed to focus on her plan, and she needed to focus on the reason for her plan: payback.

Spying the large dress box on the bed, Stephanie pushed her thoughts aside and opened the lid. Inside was a black leather outfit made of the softest leather she had ever touched. Letting her fingers glide across the material, all she could think of was that an outfit like this was designed for two things. Both started with the letter "S" and both were three letters long: sex and sin. Pulling the individual items out, she found a short skirt and a top. The top was made of black lace and trimmed in leather. Resting below the outfit was the sexiest pair of knee-high, four-inch stiletto boots she'd ever seen in her life. Wearing the outfit was going to prove to be the easy part of the night. After that last kiss, the next three hours were going to be a test to see if she could manage to settle her mental and physical self.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Stephanie checked her makeup and hair one last time. She had to admit, as suggestive as the outfit was, it was still tasteful and it looked unbelievable. The skirt and the boots fit as if made for her. The top, on the other hand, was so revealing that it left only the slightest mystery of her upper body. The semi-sheer lace was stretchy and fit snug against her front and since it was backless, she was braless under the snugness. Under other circumstances, she would have loved strutting into a club in this outfit. She was afraid tonight was going to prove to be another matter.

"Stephanie, are you ready?"

"I'll be out in a minute." She called in the direction of his deep voice. 'Let him wait,' she muttered to herself. Her outfit offered no place to hide her gun so she stuffed it into her purse, took one last look in the mirror and headed out. 'Eat your heart out, Anita Blake, tonight I'm Miami's version of Bondage Barbie.'

The hall was empty when she opened the bedroom door, so she made her way down the stairs. Hearing Harrison's voice coming from his office, she turned to enter the room and stopped and stared at the gorgeous man in front of her talking on his cell phone. Harrison was dressed in a pair of black leather pants that hugged his ass and caressed every muscular curve a man could have between his waist and his ankles and he was naked from the waist up. Omigod, he was beautiful. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the most muscular arms she had ever seen. If it was possible for a man's body to have a six-pack that went from the front all the way through to the back, Harrison's did. His muscles were so cut and defined that they flexed when he breathed.

'Sex on toast,' Stephanie thought as she felt her hormones kick into overdrive. The dampness that had started between her legs was now snaking down her inner thigh.

"What did you say?" Harrison asked as he finished his call.

"Nothing," Stephanie mumbled, grateful that she hadn't said that last little bit loud enough to be understood.

Stephanie struggled to clear her throat, "I thought you were ready?" She watched Harrison's Adam's apple slide up and down his throat as he swallowed.

"Sorry, got interrupted by the phone," he stammered, his eyes glued to her top. She caught a glimpse of his ankle holster as he pretended to adjust his pants leg over his boots. When Harrison stood back up, he reached for the rest of his outfit lying on one of the chair cushions; it was a matching black leather vest.

Stephanie watched as he extended one of his long arms and wondered how his huge bicep could possibly fit through the armhole. Unable to repress a deep sigh, she lowered her eyes. Now was not the time, she chastised herself, this is business.

"Can you help me with this?" Harrison held out his hand, palm up. "I'm not very good at putting this on by myself."

Stephanie looked into his hand and saw a diamond stud earring. "Sure."

Harrison shifted sideways on the desk and lowered his head so she could reach his left ear. Stephanie could smell his cologne and her hands trembled as she inserted the earring and screwed the back onto it.

"All done," a whispered tone was the best she could manage.

"Thanks," Harrison was forced to clear his throat so the word could be heard. "Got everything?"

"I've got my gun," she said and held up her purse. "No knife, left it stuck in that fool's leg the other night."

Harrison gave her a big smile as he rushed out of the room. "Be right back."

Stephanie was more than willing to wait since she got to watch his muscles move under the soft leather as he took the stairs two at a time.

The smile was still on his face when he came back into the office. "Here you go." He handed her the knife she thought she'd lost. "I had it cleaned and sharpened for you."

"Wow, thanks," Stephanie dropped it in her purse.

"Come on, my little Night Warrior, it's time we got moving."

Harrison pulled the Ferrari into a small, unlit parking lot, shutting off the engine and the lights. They had been to several of Miami's hottest nightclubs in the past four hours, but this place was different, almost obscure. "Where are we?" she asked.

"Private club; 'Manuel's Madness', stay close to me and stay alert." Harrison's eyes searched the area as he spoke. He reached under the front seat, and when his hand came back into view, it appeared empty. "I'm known as Mongrel here. No last names." He paused and looked at her. "One more thing, our best chance of gathering information here will be if we appear intimate. Can you handle that?" She agreed with a nod of her head. Satisfied, he opened his door, and Stephanie waited for him to circle the car and open hers. It was then that she saw what he had gotten from underneath his seat.

He had a large silver ring on his right hand; it was a replica of a snarling dog's head. Looking up at him, a shiver went down her backbone. Mongrel.

"Here, you'll need to wear this." He lifted Stephanie's hand and slid a matching version of the ring onto her finger.

Stephanie studied the ring on her finger and then looked up into his face. "Does this make me your bitch?" Mongrel smiled and nodded his head.

Touching the small of her back with his hand, he guided her toward the renovated warehouse. She couldn't help but wonder how many other women had worn this same ring.

Mongrel's distinctive knock on the steel door sounded over the heavy beat of music. A small square portion of the door slid open, revealing a sheet of bulletproof glass separating them from a large, ugly face on the other side. Mongrel held up two one thousand dollar bills in front of the ugly face, making sure that his ring was visible. The small square of steel slammed shut, but the main door didn't open. Stephanie stole a worried glance in Mongrel's direction. He appeared unfazed. The small square of steel slid back again, this time the face that appeared wasn't ugly. Mongrel didn't bother to hold up the money; instead he stared with narrowed eyes at the other man. The steel square snapped shut and the main door swung open.

"Mongrel, my friend." The man skimmed his eyes over Mongrel's body and then shifted his eyes in Stephanie's direction, gazing at her with blatant interest. "So this is the bitch that is capable of dragging the old bastard dog out into the night."

Lightening was slower than Mongrel's assault. "Manuel, must I teach you manners? She is my lady. Her name is Stephanie. Treat her with respect."

Manuel was above average body-wise, yet Mongrel shoved the man against the wall and raised him off the floor, using the strength of one forearm while ignoring the two guns that were pointed at him.

"Si," Manuel croaked. Mongrel released his hold and stepped back to stand next to Stephanie, pulling her in close with the possessiveness of a lover.

Manuel rubbed his neck and studied Mongrel again, longer and with more intensity this time. "Time has not weakened you, my friend." Lowering his hand, Manuel looked in Stephanie's direction. "Enjoy my club, Stephanie, tonight you will be my guest."

"Thank you," Stephanie said as Mongrel started running his fingers up the bare skin of her arm. When she shivered, Manuel smiled and looked back at Mongrel.

"She responds well to your touch, my friend. Take her inside and enjoy your evening, but stay close to her, others may not be as well mannered as I am." Manuel's voice lowered to a threatening tone.

Mongrel and Manuel eye wrestled for a few seconds before Manuel blinked. Game, set and match to Mongrel. Placing his hand on the back of her neck, Mongrel directed her down a short hall into the inner sanctum of the club, each step bringing the beat of the music closer. The décor inside the main room was reminiscent of Cuba in the 1950's and had been decorated by someone with very expensive taste. Without speaking, Mongrel led her to the center of the dance floor, turning her around to face him. Splaying a hand atop each of her hips, Mongrel directed her hips to sway in perfect time with his own body moves.

"Relax," Mongrel whispered as he lowered his mouth to kiss her on the neck. "They'll be watching us."

Stephanie told herself she could do relaxed and if the others were going to watch, she could put on a show. Undoing her hair, she shook her long curls loose as she twisted her body so that her back was to Harrison's front. Raising her arms over her head, Stephanie let the music fill her body as she shimmied down the length of his body and back up.

Harrison's steps never lost a beat. His hands trailed along the sides of her body as she moved down and up. He slipped one large hand under her skirt as she climbed back up his body and turned her back around to face him. His large hand now rested on the lower edge of her ass.

Bending backwards over one of Mongrel's arms, Stephanie pressed her grinding pelvis into his, her breast pressing unrestrained against the stretchy fabric of her top. She heard Mongrel mutter a curse before he yanked her upright.

Stephanie smiled and searched his eyes as she ran her hands up his arms and then down over his chest, stopping her hands over the small narrow strips of tied leather holding the vest together. She untied the loose knot and ran her hands over the hard muscular expansion of his chest. She used her index fingers to trace around the defined muscles of his stomach and then moved her hands behind as she gripped his ass, pulling him in closer as she lowered her mouth to his chest to lick one of his nipples. She felt it tighten on her tongue.

Mongrel fisted his hand in her curls and pulled her mouth away from his chest. "Plan on fucking me during the second chorus?" Mongrel's soft growls touched her ear before he nipped the lobe.

"If fucking you will get us the information we need on Baratoli, then yes," she whispered into his ear then trailed her tongue down the side of his neck. "You said we needed to appear intimate and that we were being watched," she nibbled her way across his collarbone and felt the vibrations of his strangled groan. "Just wanted to make sure we passed the test, _partner_."

When the music ended, Mongrel's hands were slow to leave her body. They stood looking into each other's eyes as if a silent challenge was passing between them. "I have saved the best table for you, please come this way." Manuel was standing behind her, but Mongrel's eyes never wavered from hers.

"Thank you," Mongrel's voice was husky with desire. Taking Stephanie's hand, they followed Manuel to a quiet table separate from the rest.

"Enjoy," Manuel said before drifting away.

Stephanie waited until no one was within hearing distance before she started blasting Mongrel with questions. "What kind of place is this that it costs $1,000 a person to get into?"

"Private," Mongrel answered.

"Don't you dare placate me with one word answers," Stephanie hissed from across the table.

"Let's just say that the type of people who might know something that would be helpful to us might be here. Is that enough answer for you, _partner_?" Harrison arched a brow.

A waitress approached their table and placed two drinks in front of them. "Manuel sends these with his compliments."

"Thank him for us." Mongrel smiled at the woman and slipped $200 onto her tray. The waitress flashed him a bright, inviting smile then left the table.

"What is this?" Stephanie asked as she lifted the glass and sniffed the contents.

"It's a Mojito." Stephanie raised her eyebrows in question. "Classic Cuban cocktail."

"I don't drink all that much."

"Pretend, it would be an insult not to accept his offer." Mongrel lifted his drink to his mouth, his eyes roaming around the crowded room. "Come on, time to dance." He was already standing with his hand extended, waiting for her.

"Why, did you see someone?" Stephanie started craning her neck to see around his large body.

Mongrel ignored her question. "Let's dance." His demanding tone stopped Stephanie from looking around the room to focus narrowed eyes on him. His eyes were almost blank; similar to the look Ranger would have when dealing with a dangerous skip. Reaching for his hand, she followed him to the dance floor.

The music playing was strong and seductive and bore into every bone in her hands started out on her hips as before, her arms circled his neck. For a man his size he was unbelievable graceful, as she had found out at the earlier clubs, but nothing could have prepared her for his performance on this dance floor.

A man tapped Mongrel on the shoulder and without exchanging a single word, Mongrel allowed the man to dance with Stephanie. She watched as Mongrel walked back to the table to sip his drink, then to walk toward the men's room. Mongrel returned several minutes later and sat at the table, waiting for the dance to end.

When the dance was over, the man escorted Stephanie back to the table. Sitting down after saying 'thank you' to her partner, she looked at Mongrel. He passed her a brief smile while he took another sip of his drink. Stephanie looked down to see that her drink had also been refreshed.

When the music started again, she and Mongrel repeated the motions. They'd dance for a few moments, someone would interrupt them, she danced with a different man and then she'd return to their table where a fresh drink would be waiting for her.

The pattern continued two more times. Stephanie's body temperature was beginning to rise way past warm. She wasn't sure if it was from all the dancing or the 'pretend drinking' she was doing. When she returned to the table after the last dance, Mongrel wasn't there. She glanced around the room, trying to locate him.

"Your friend, he is tied up at the moment. May I enjoy your company until he returns?" Manuel seemed to have appeared out of thin air. He didn't wait for Stephanie's answer; he selected the chair across from her.

"Thank you for the drinks tonight, that was very kind of you." Stephanie saluted him with her glass before taking a sip. Manuel accepted her thanks with a slight nod and an open hand gesture.

"How did you meet Mongrel?"

"We were introduced by a mutual friend." Stephanie knew that the man was fishing for information and she didn't plan on giving him any more than was necessary.

Manuel's eyes searched her face for unspoken answers; not finding any he smiled and tried another question. "How long have you two been together?"

Stephanie took a longer sip of her drink this time. "Long enough." Hoping to avoid another question, she filled her mouth with another swallow. As the music started again, she searched for Mongrel.

"Would you do me the honor?" Manuel rose and pulled her chair back from the table, letting her know that he expected her to accept his offer.

When they reached the center of the dance floor Manuel signaled the person in charge of the music and a slow song with a sensual beat filled the room. Pulling her close to him, Manuel moved their bodies with expert steps to the rhythm of the music. Stephanie's thoughts were fuzzy from the alcohol and when Manuel began singing soft strands of Spanish, she found it hard to keep her eyes open.

"Your singing is putting my lady to sleep," Mongrel's voice brought Stephanie's eyes wide open. Mongrel placed a hand on Manuel's shoulder, pushing the man back enough so that he could remove Stephanie from the other man's arms. "Thank you for keeping her company." Tightening Stephanie's body against his, Mongrel danced her in the opposite direction, leaving Manuel standing alone in the center of the dance floor.

Her body melted into his, her eyes starting to drift close again. The butter-soft leather of their outfits warmed as the front of their hips rubbed and swayed in time with the music.

Enjoying the moment a little too much, Stephanie placed her arms around him and let her hands rest on Mongrel's ass, pulling him in closer to her. A small moan broke past her lips.

"Stephanie." Mongrel meant to open her eyes with his voice; instead, he whispered her name.

She raised her head a fraction of an inch off his shoulder, her eyes softening. Stephanie reached up and touched Mongrel's diamond earring. "Pretty."

He watched her lips say the word more than he heard it. If their faces had not been so close, he would have missed the momentary flash of pain that flickered in her eyes before the reflection of a past pleasure filled them. Mongrel watched her eyes close; he felt her fingers dig a stronger hold into him as her legs parted further and she began to grind against his muscular thigh in time with the music. Pulling her into his chest, he could feel her rock hard nipples surrounded by the softness of her breast against his bare chest.

The rapid shallowness of her breathing warned him that she was close to climaxing. Sealing his lips over hers, he swallowed the crescendo of her climax as the song ended.

Their night out was over; it was time to take his little Night Warrior home.


	18. Chapter 18

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 18**

Relaxing in the soft contoured seat of his van, Randy watched the waves flow in and out. He loved to watch the small waves when the meager fractions of light reflected off the moving water, gathering in brilliance as they combined with each other. The overall effect could not be duplicated anywhere else.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Randy jumped down from the van, pressing the locking and security function on his key ring. Walking through the sand, he enjoyed the cool, gritty feeling on the bottom of his feet as small amounts leaked inside his sandals. He had discovered over the past couple of days that visiting the beach at night was what he called an 'almost', meaning, something he could do without people staring at him when he did it. That was Randy's feeling of what it must be like to 'almost' be normal. He was fine with his stature and had learned years ago that life was what you made it, but there were still times when anyone who wasn't 'normal' needed an 'almost'.

Knocking the excess sand out of his shoes prior to entering the bar, Randy marveled at how comfortable he felt. The first night he had driven down to the ocean he'd discovered 'Darling Lil's' as he walked back to his van after strolling along the beach. The bar was designed to resemble a straw shack and had been built as close to the ocean as the law allowed. Standing outside of the establishment that night, Randy had debated on whether he should go inside for a beer. When he stood there trying to decide, he saw her. The next thing he knew, he was walking through the door of 'Darling Lil's', sitting at the bar watching the most beautiful woman he had ever seen pouring a beer from the tap. The next day, Randy gave Lillie a bouquet of violets, the day after he gave her a box of French chocolates, but tonight he came to her empty handed because what he planned to give her was his heart. Randy Briggs was in love.

He had spent every available hour with Lillie since then. He drove his 'office' to the beach, parking in the lot across the street from the bar; Lillie would come over while he worked. They'd go to one of the nearby restaurants to have dinner before it was time for Lillie to go to work. She had owned the bar for five years; purchasing it with some of the money she'd inherited after the death of her parents. Lillie cried as she told him about the tragic murder of her parents and he lost his heart as he held her.

Sitting on his stool at the end of the bar, Randy sipped his Coke. No alcohol tonight. When Lillie would close the bar tonight she was coming back to the condo with him and he didn't want any of his reactions impaired, driving or otherwise!

He watched Lillie maneuver with graceful ease up and down the length of the bar on a raised platform that had been built to bring her up to 'normal' height. On it, she reigned over her private little kingdom, laughing and smiling with her regular customers, greeting new patrons with a bright smile and a handshake.

Thirty more minutes and it would be time to close up. Jake was in the back office, counting the money and getting the night deposit ready. Jake had been with Lillie since day one. He was a combination of assistant manager, bouncer and on a few occasions, he acted as an equalizer.

Randy slid off the stool, grabbed a bar rag and started wiping off the tops of the few empty tables. When he looked up, Lillie was smiling her special smile in his direction and his heart beat a little faster when she blew him a kiss. Randy was about to blow her a kiss back when he noticed Lillie's attention had been diverted to the bar's entrance. Randy followed her eyes and froze. Holy shit, the late patron entering the bar was Lester!

* * *

Lester had been driving aimlessly up and down the beach. He had been out all day and had almost nothing to show for it. Tomorrow he planned to pay another visit to the General; the man had been a little too quiet today. Lester sighed. Damn, he was starting to suspect anyone and everyone. One more sweep along the coastline and then he needed to get some sleep. Turning his SUV around in the closest parking lot, he slammed on the brakes.

Lester stared in disbelief. Parked right in front of him was a van that fit the description of the one Briggs was supposed to be driving. Right down to the New Jersey license plate. Lester grabbed his phone and punched in Bobby's number, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Yeah?" Bobby's sleepy voice came across the phone.

"I think I found the van!"

"Shit! You kidding me? Where? Did you find them?" Bobby's voice increased one octave with each question.

"Run a plate for me." Lester gave him the number and disconnected the call. He sat wondering if he should stay put or start out on foot. He checked his watch, 1:30 in the morning; most of the bars would be closing in half an hour.

"What?" Lester answered his phone on the first ring and then held his breath.

"It's registered to an Allen Smith."

"Damn." Lester hit his fist against the steering wheel. "That would have been too easy."

"It was worth checking out, could have been his."

"Thanks anyway."

Lester sat and continued to study the van. Unable to ignore his gut instinct, he angled out of his car and walked up to the van, careful not to get close enough to set off any alarms. The windows were tinted and, from a casual observation, the van appeared normal.

Dropping to his hands and knees, Lester looked underneath and a large smile broke out on his face. Damn, he'd been right! The van had been modified. The little shit had registered it under an alias. Standing, he brushed off his hands, intent on canvassing the area, but first he'd put a tracking device on the van. No way was he taking any unnecessary chances.

* * *

At the unexpected sight of Lester, Randy dropped down under the table he had been wiping and began crawling toward the bar. Moving as fast as possible, yet careful not to bump into any legs of the tables, chairs or patrons, Randy headed for the safety of the bar. Lillie stepped down from her platform.

"Trouble?" she asked. Randy nodded. "Come on." Lillie reached down and joined her hand to Randy's. "We'll go out the backdoor."

Unobserved, the two walked through the door to the back office. "You'll need to close up tonight, Jake," Lillie said as she waved goodnight and kept right on going. Their steps quickened outside until they reached the van. Without saying a word, they climbed in and, with less than his usual care; Randy pulled out of the parking lot and headed straight for the condo.

* * *

Lester's initial scan of the bar's interior confirmed that there wasn't a woman with crazy auburn hair in the place. The most unusual thing his quick inspection noted was the opening and closing of the door he assumed led to the back office of the bar. A door opened and closed. Why would his mind think that was unusual? Because he hadn't seen a person! Shit!

Covering the distance of the small bar, Lester pushed on the door dividing the front of the bar from the back. His efforts were met with strong resistance. A pair of intent eyes glared at him from the other side through the small window in the door. Lester pushed again, harder this time.

"Open up, man, I need to talk to her," Lester said through clenched teeth.

The man behind the door didn't even blink. "Open the damn door!" Lester said again as he slammed his hand on the door and stepped back.

The door swung open and a large man walked through, his body still blocking the doorway. "Just who is this 'her' you need to talk to?" the man asked.

"Stephanie Plum. She's about 5'7", slim, long curly auburn hair and the biggest, bluest eyes you've ever seen." Lester watched the other man's face as he described Stephanie.

"Friend of yours?"

"Yes, she's a friend, and she's in trouble."

"I haven't seen a woman fitting that description all night and believe me, if I had, she'd be leaving with me." The man smiled at Lester.

Lester's expression turned threatening and he stepped closer to the man.

"If I find out you're lying to me, I will blow your fucking balls off."

The man didn't flinch, turn pale or blink. Instead he just smiled at Lester again.

"You could try." The smile never faded from Jake's face. The two men continued their face off for a few more seconds.

"Look, if you see her, have her call me." Lester pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Jake.

Jake took the card, but his eyes never strayed from Lester's face.

"Army?" Lester asked.

"The Boy Scouts?" Jake snorted. "Marines."

Should have known, Lester thought, a freaking Jar Head. "Well, Marine, she's in big trouble and I want to help." Lester nodded at the man and turned to leave the bar. The man wasn't going to be of any help tonight; besides he had the tracking device on the van. He'd see where that would lead him.

* * *

Randy pulled into the garage, afraid to get out of the van until the door was down. Hearing the soft thud as the door touched down on the concrete floor; he heaved a deep sigh of relief and rested his forehead on the steering wheel.

"Are you going to tell me what was that all about?" Lillie asked in a quiet voice. Randy raised his head and looked at her.

"I'll tell you all about it, but first I need to do something." Sliding out of his seat, he wiggled his body through the small gap between the front seats. Not known for her patience, Lillie followed him.

Standing on top of a couch, Randy reached up into a storage cabinet and removed a small black box. Hopping down from his makeshift stepstool, Randy headed for the side door. Lillie followed in his wake.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Privacy insurance," Randy answered as he turned various dials on the box. "I'm sure the guy in the bar put a tracking device on the van." Randy started walking around the van. When he reached the back bumper, a light on the small box started blinking. Randy dropped to his knees and ran his hands over and under the bumper. Lillie did the same. "Don't do that, you'll get dirty," Randy said, but he could have saved his breath because Lillie didn't listen, she just kept right searching for, well, something.

Finding nothing on the bumper, Randy then started on the license plate. Nothing could be seen or felt around it. He slipped a small screwdriver bit from a case inside the little box and unscrewed the license plate. Resting behind the plate, he found what he was looking for.

"Well, well, well." Randy held up what looked like a small piece of black plastic.

"What's that?" Lillie asked.

"Tracking device," Randy walked to the door leading into the condo with Lillie close behind him.

"What are you going to do with it?" Lillie asked.

"Nothing, I'm just going to put it somewhere so he won't bother us." Randy continued through the condo and then stopped at the front door. "Stay here."

Lillie nodded her head as she watched Randy open the door and crept outside.

He'd seen a taxi idling in the front parking lot of the complex. Attaching the device to the taxi should keep Lester busy.

Randy stooped down, appearing to adjust his shoe as one of his small arms reached up under the bumper. He was careful to keep his motions slow and natural as he attached the device to the car's bumper. Done, he walked back to the condo and locked the door.

"Why didn't you take the device off before we got back here?" Lillie asked.

"I wasn't sure how close Lester would be behind us. Plus, I wasn't positive that there was a device." Randy started walking toward the kitchen. "This way the device is still activated and the taxi should be gone before Lester hones in on us. He can't see the van." Opening the refrigerator, he reached in and grabbed a couple bottles of beer.

Lillie walked up behind him and gave him a hug and a kiss on his ear. "You're so smart." She fisted her small hands on top of her hips. "Now, tell me what this is all about."

Randy may have only known Lillie a few days, but he recognized that look. Damn you Lester, this was not the bedtime story he'd planned on having with Lillie tonight. Randy lifted the cold bottle of beer to his lips; paybacks were a bitch, Lester, get ready.

* * *

The ride back to Harrison's house had been heavy with silence and tensewith repressed feelings. Neither one of them had spoken a word. Stephanie was determined to ignore what had happened on the dance floor and it seemed, so was Harrison.

As soon as he pulled the car into the garage, Stephanie made her escape for the house merely to be stopped by the locked door leading from the garage into the kitchen. Shit. She felt the warmth of Harrison's body behind her. Taking a small step to the side, she opened an unobstructed space in front of the security pad. His arm reached around her and entered the code. As soon as she heard the system disengaging, she twisted the knob and ran through the house and up the stairs into the safety of her room. She felt a silent tear slide down her cheek. Damn, she didn't need this complication, not now. But no matter how skilled she had become at burying her emotions, her body's needs just would not subside. She needed to find a way to calm her hormones or the distraction would interfere with the success of her plan and her payback.


	19. Chapter 19

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 19**

Lester cruised down the quiet suburban street. He double-checked the tracking screen; the bluish-white dot was blinking faster and faster. The faster it blinked, the closer he was to finding Stephanie. Glancing around, Lester recognized the neighborhood.

The tracking screen emitted a low tone; the dot shined red and no longer blinked, indicating that he should see the van. "Damn that little shit!"

Double-parking his SUV, Lester jogged up to one of the condominium doors and started banging. Lester knew the man was home, hell it was almost 3 in the morning. Raising his fist to knock again, Lester hit nothing but air as the door swung open.

"This better be good."

"General, I need your help."

Heaving a tired sigh, the older man motioned his visitor inside.

Two minutes later, the door opened again, this time Lester all but pulled the older gentleman out with him. "General, this is very important."

"It damn well better be and if you're wrong, I'll have your ass." The man snapped back as he knotted the belt of his robe. "And Ric's too!"

The General walked around to the back part of the complex. He had purchased the complex when he retired from the military in hopes of leading a peaceful life. Glancing at the man next to him, the General knew this was not to be one of those peaceful times.

"Stay out of sight and let me do the talking," the General ordered.

"Yes, sir." Lester's voice sounded excited but respectful.

The General knocked on the front door of the condo.

"Try again, sir," Lester said.

Ignoring Lester's plea, the General waited a few moments before he knocked again. This time the men could hear movement on the other side of the door. The General stood under the light above the door so that he would be visible through the peephole.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, I'm the manager here, would you please open the door?" the General asked after seeing Lester nod his head. "There's a small emergency."

Randy worried that something might have happened to Stephanie, but she would have called him on his cell phone. Maybe she couldn't call… he motioned for Lillie to stay out of sight and then he opened the door.

Lester rushed through the door and reached for Randy. Picking the smaller man up, Lester held Randy up until they were face to face. "Where the hell is she, you little weasel?"

Randy glared at Lester. Oh yes, Lester was so going to pay for this.

Still carrying Randy, Lester searched each room of the condo. "All right, runt, where is she?"

"Who?" Randy asked, then he felt Lester's grip tighten around his ribs. "Put me down, you overgrown human steroid." Randy started struggling, trying to get out of Lester's grip.

"Damn!" Lester yelled and looked down at his leg. Lillie was stomping her small foot down on top of Lester's and was biting his leg. Lester wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to let go of Randy, but he didn't want to hurt the woman either. "Lady, stop it. I don't want to hurt you."

"Hey, Santos!" Randy yelled to get the bigger man's attention as he pulled his small fist back and then hit Lester in the nose.

The sharp sound of the door slamming caught everyone's attention. "As owner and manager, I demand that all of you sit down. Now!"

The commanding sound of the General's voice brought a sudden stop to the fighting. Lester released Randy and selected the corner of the couch nearest the door. Randy and Lillie sat side by side in the other corner.

"Thank you. Now, I want an explanation of what the hell is going on. And just so we're clear, that was not a request, it was an order."

Lester wiped his hand under his nose and then looked at Randy. "You little shit, you bloodied my nose."

* * *

Bobby ran down the hall to Ranger's office. Breathless from the news he had he looked at the three men sitting around Ranger's desk. "She's in Miami."

"Did Lester see her? Is she all right? Does he have her?" Bobby answered the questions as fast as he heard them.

"No, Lester hasn't seen her and no, she's not with him," Bobby's answers reduced the level of excitement inside the room.

"Then how does he know she's there?" Ranger demanded.

"Because he has Briggs. They rented a condo that just happens to be owned by the General. The General remembers seeing a woman who fits Stephanie's description there earlier today."

"Get the plane ready." Ranger directed his order to Tank.

"Umm, Ric the plane's on its way back from Michigan." Tank checked his wristwatch. "ETA is two hours, and then another hour for turn around time."

Ranger's jaw muscles bunched with anger. "Have it ready. We leave in three hours. Bobby, call Lester and give him our ETA and tell him I want a full report."

Both men nodded and left the office.

Ranger slumped down in his chair. Running his hands through his hair, he released a pent up sigh of relief. "Thank God," he whispered.

"You really think somebody upstairs is going to listen to you?" Joe asked and met Ranger's anger-filled eyes with a pair of his own. "I'm coming with you to Miami."

"Things may get a little dicey; sure the cop in you can handle it?" The irritation in Ranger's voice matched the annoyance in his eyes.

"I'm going. Someone capable needs to protect her from any further mental harm and to keep her ass out of any legal problems." Joe waited to make sure Ranger understood his meaning. Ranger's intense glare told him that his rival understood.

"You're serious about wanting her back, aren't you?"

"Very."

The two men grew quiet, waging their silent war with each other; fighting over loving the same woman.

"Have you given _it_ any thought?" Joe asked.

Ranger knew exactly what _it_ was, "Other than begging, no."

Joe allowed a small smile to show on his face. "Not that you deserve it, but here's a small piece of advice: protect your legs."

* * *

Stephanie stood outside Harrison's bedroom door contemplating what she was about to do. She didn't love Harrison, but she had to admit, there was a strong chemistry between them. Chemistry strong enough to spark feelings she'd attempted to bury along with the happiness she'd known with Ranger. Closing her eyes she bowed her head, resting her forehead against the door. She knew why she was here; she needed him. It was as simple as that. She needed him to touch her, to hold her, to make love to her and she needed to do the same to him. Should she give in? Her question was answered when her hand reached out and opened the door to Harrison's bedroom. She drew in a gulp of courage as she waited, quivering, in the doorway.

Harrison rose up on one elbow, exposing his bare chest. "Stephanie..." he started to ask if she was okay, but stopped when he saw her nervous silhouette standing in the doorway.

"Wait, me first," Stephanie cut him off. "This isn't about love and I'm not here to prostitute myself. The truth is I think we need each other. This is about healing."

Stephanie walked to the side of his bed and slipped the narrow straps over her shoulders, allowing the silk fabric to fall to the floor. Placing one knee on the bed, she held out her hand to him. Harrison ignored all the reasons why he should convince her to leave, to return to her room, but she was right, they did need each other. Taking her hand, he pulled her body to his. She straddled his legs, sitting astride the tops of his thighs, her legs spread wide to cover the expansion of them. Together, they wrapped their arms around each other, enjoying the closeness, each absorbing the other's warmth.

Stephanie pulled back enough to frame Harrison's face with her hands. She recognized the look of apprehension on his face. She brought her mouth to his, tracing his lips with the tip of her tongue and, closing her eyes, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. With slow teasing strokes on and around his tongue, she coaxed him to relax; soon their tongues were savoring the taste and excitement of the kiss, their unified moans announcing that they were back among the feeling.

Harrison's tipped his strong thighs to lift her body high enough so that their lips were even. His kisses became more demanding, more urgent. His fingers entwined through her tousled curls, enabling him control over the angle of the kiss, forcing her mouth to submit fully to his hunger.

Breaking for air, Stephanie rose up on her knees. Cupping her hand under one of her breasts, she offered its taut, aching nipple to him. Harrison's mouth latched onto it like a starving child. Her fingers pressed into the hard muscles of his shoulders, back bowed and eyes closed, she moaned with deep relief, allowing her entire body and soul to surrender to the feeling of complete ecstasy.

He splayed his large hand wide across her upper back, steadying her as he danced his tongue over and around her taut nipple, nipping it with his teeth and dragging the softness of her tender breast deep inside his mouth. With a tenderness he thought forgotten, he stretched her breast out, marveling at the response it drew from her.

"Please." Stephanie begged as she directed his attention to her other breast.

"Patience, little one," Harrison used his words to blow soft puffs of air over the tight, wet tip of her breast. He cradled the weight of her other breast in the palm of his hand. "Everything about your breast is perfect, the size, the shape and I love how you respond to my enjoying them."

"Harrison, please."

"Believe me, it will be my pleasure." Harrison captured the other breast in his mouth.

Stephanie was unable to stop the half groan, half scream that erupted from inside her as Harrison began playing the rough pad of his thumb back and forth over her slippery clit. Slipping one of his thick fingers deep inside her, working it in and out in long, slow torturous strokes. She struggled to stifle her screams from the seductive way he stimulated her g-spot. When he entered a second finger, Stephanie grabbed on to his shoulders as she began riding his fingers, setting her own urgent pace.

He could not take his eyes off the sensual emotions reflecting on her face.

"Come for me, Stephanie," The muscles in his arms drew tight as he increased the powerful driving motion of his fingers. "Come for me."

Harrison felt her walls clamp down over his fingers like a vice, her grip bruising his shoulders as she climaxed. This time he didn't bother to cover her mouth with a kiss; he wanted to hear her screams of passion fill the room. He rolled her onto her back, spreading her limber; relaxed legs open so he could position himself between her knees.

Stephanie reached out for his long, thick erection that was dancing in front of her, but Harrison encased her hand with his and lowered it back down to her side.

"It's been a long time since I've tasted a woman." Lifting her hips in his hands, Harrison placed her legs over his shoulders, "Woman, you are beautiful."

She wasn't sure how long he had spent torturing her from this position, but it had been at least two climaxes ago. Every caress of his tongue over her wet folds, every flick of his tongue over her swollen clit drove Stephanie closer to another climax. When his tongue delved deep inside of her with strong, rapid probes she heard herself begging for more.

"Please," Stephanie panted. "I can't wait any longer."

Lowering her hips, he gently caressed her hips and thighs. "I apologize right now for how quick and hard this is going to be, but I promise, I'll make it up to you."

Harrison turned her over onto her stomach and pulled her hips up and back, entering her in one long delicious thrust. His body froze as it remembered how wonderful it felt to sink deep into the hot, wet tightness of a woman. He fought to keep his pace slow and easy, but his body's need took control.

He reached underneath Stephanie to grab her swaying breasts, kneading them as he used his powerful thighs to increase the pounding of his hips. Somewhere in his mind he heard her moaning and gasping his name.

Stephanie tried to reach between her legs to clutch his balls, but was forced to use her hands for stability when his pounding became fast and forceful. The strength in his arms was amazing as he pulled her back into him. She heard a primal sound, a low guttural growl that increased in volume the closer he came to his own release. A sound that was a mixture of denied pleasures and long buried pain erupted from him as he shot his hot release deep inside of her.

Harrison's thrust began to slow as he labored to bring his breathing under control. He rolled their still joined bodies down until they were resting close together on their sides.

"Are you okay?" Harrison placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"Very okay," Stephanie answered. "And I do intend to hold you to your promise." A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she wiggled her ass to free them from each other.

"Oh, I'm big on fulfilling my promises," Harrison smiled.

"Well, you're right about being big and fulfilling, but I'm afraid it might take all night for you to prove to me that you can keep your promises." Stephanie rolled over to face him and kissed the base of his neck.

"I'm up for it," Harrison positioned her underneath him and began to prove he was a man of his word.


	20. Chapter 20

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 20**

Stephanie permitted herself one more languid stretch as she hung on to the last few seconds of sleep. Delicious, that's how she felt and she hadn't felt this way in a long time. Then her memory clicked in. Shit, it was the 'morning after' now what?

Despite that worrisome thought, a shiver of desire ran down her spine, joining the tightening between her legs. Last night had been wonderful. They found themselves taking turns reaching for the other throughout the entire night, almost as if their bodies were trying to make up for lost time. But the light of day was shining outside the window and she needed to face it.

A soft knock sounded. "Stephanie?"

Closing her eyes, Stephanie allowed herself a few seconds of embarrassment before answering. "Come in, Bonnie." It was too late to disguise the fact that she and Harrison had slept together. Sitting up in bed, Stephanie pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness and pushed the tangle of curls out of her eyes.

Balancing a white wicker bed tray, Bonnie came smiling through the door. "Good morning, dear."

"Morning," Stephanie muttered as she scrambled to locate the nightshirt she had worn last night.

"Looking for this?" Harrison stood next to the bed, dangling the piece of silk from his index finger.

"Yes, thank you." Stephanie blushed as she grabbed the nightshirt from him.

Without a word, Bonnie handed Harrison the tray, leaned in and kissed Stephanie on the forehead. Both of them watched as she left the room.

"We need to talk."

"Not till I've gone to the bathroom and had a cup of coffee," Stephanie said as she pulled the nightshirt over her head. Clothed, she threw back the covers and swung her legs to the floor.

Standing and crossing the room was her next task. Stephanie walked draped in an air of unrepentant nonchalance towards the bathroom door, hoping she could hide her soreness until she was on the other side of the door.

* * *

The General sat observing the other man's back. The man stood rigid with nervous tension. "Ric, sit down." The General's words fell on deaf ears.

"Ric!" Raising his voice, he made sure his tone was sharp enough to cut through the other man's barrier of deep concentration.

"I'm listening." Ranger didn't move away from the two-way mirror. He had been watching Tank and Morelli question Randy for almost three hours. Never wavering, he stood listening to the same questions over and over; the same answers over and over.

"I'm looking forward to meeting this woman." The General's tone had returned to normal. "Tell me about her." The General noticed the momentary expansion of the man's broad back as he took a deep breath.

"She's able to make you laugh, smile, worry and grit your teeth with anger all within the first five minutes of meeting her." Ranger moved for the first time since entering the hidden viewing room. He dropped his head back as if looking at the ceiling. "She's beautiful, intelligent and can find trouble in an empty room." Silence returned to fill the room as Ranger straightened his head.

"And you love her." The General spoke the words softly.

"And I love her," Ranger answered.

"Why?"

Ranger knew the General wasn't asking why he loved her, but why he had made the decision to 'die' that night.

"I don't know. Stephanie taught me how to love again, but the sight of her being held captive and the thought of losing her..." Ranger faced the General. "She could have died and it would have been my fault, my failure. Losing Steph would kill me as well."

The General remained quiet, waiting for Ranger to continue. He watched as the younger man pulled a chair out from the table and slumped down in it. Leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table that separated them, Ranger worked up the courage to voice what the General had known was buried deep in the young man's heart.

"I didn't want to lose her the way Harrison lost Victoria." Ranger rubbed his hands over his tired face. "I could not live through that kind of pain."

The General stood and walked to stand next to his troubled friend. "I know you cared for them a great deal and that when Victoria was killed, Harrison's turning away from you was like losing both of them. It would have been healthier for Harrison if you had been there for him."

"I would have been. I wanted to be," Ranger said.

Patting Ranger on the shoulder, the General walked back around the table. "Why don't you pay Harrison a visit?"

Ranger rammed his fingers through his hair "Maybe when this is all over. I'll try." The pallor of his complexion told of his fatigue and stress.

"No," the General's voice was commanding. "Now would be best." Ranger searched the other man's face. "He can help."

A knock sounded on the door as it opened and Tank walked in. "I don't think that little shit is gonna tell us anything. He's one devoted friend."

A dry laugh escaped from Ranger. "Making true and lasting friendships are just two of Stephanie's strong qualities." He motioned to the mirror, "When this is all over with, hire him."

Tank chuckled deep in his chest and his face shined with mischief. "Oh man, Lester is not going to like that." Tank's chuckle turned into a full laugh.

* * *

Stephanie had delayed returning to the bedroom as long as possible. She knew she and Harrison had things to talk about, both personal and business. Now she understood why people said never mix business with pleasure. And last night had been oh so much pleasure. Sighing, she accepted the fact that she didn't do things the way most people did.

She opened the bathroom door and headed straight for the breakfast tray, conscious of Harrison's steady gaze every step of the way. Focusing her attention on keeping her hands steady as she poured a cup of the hot, dark brew, she hoped to give the illusion that she was unaffected by the events of last night.

"You ready to talk about last night?"

Stephanie wasn't sure if Harrison sounded nervous or impatient.

"Depends."

The quietness that settled between them was punctured by Harrison's short laugh. "Depends?"

Stephanie maintained her casual façade.

Striding toward her, Harrison didn't stop until all that separated them was the coffee cup Stephanie held in her hands. Eyes locked, neither one said a word.

"Here." Harrison offered a white envelope to her.

"What is this?"

"Results from last night's inquiries. Take your shower, get dressed and meet me down in my office in fifteen minutes." Harrison called over his shoulder as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Stephanie set her cup on the tray and opened the envelope and found a smaller one inside. Opening it, she pulled out an engraved invitation to the wedding of Baratoli's daughter. Well, well, well as Randy would say. Let the fun begin.

* * *

Lester remained quiet as he watched Tank and Morelli question Randy. The little shit wasn't giving anything up on Stephanie. Lester's hand touched his tender nose. Tank had offered Lester the chance to question Randy, but Lester refused, knowing that he had an ace up his sleeve that he wasn't willing to share with anyone just yet.

So instead, he leaned against the back wall of the room with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes half closed. When he felt the vibration against his leg, he left the room without any explanation and proceeded down the hall until he found the first empty room. He pulled the phone from one of the deep side pockets of his pants and pressed the talk button.

"Hello." Lester crossed his fingers.

"Who is this?"

"Well, good morning to you too, Bombshell." Lester didn't try to disguise his voice. He didn't have time; he wanted to find Stephanie before any of the others. He could almost hear the thoughts that ran through her mind.

"Where's Randy? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's a little busy talking with Tank and Morelli right now." He heard her whisper _fuck_.

"I am not going back until my business is finished." Determination rang with every word.

"Taking you back to Trenton is not what I had in mind," Lester glanced out into the hall to make sure no one was looking for him. "What kind of business do you need to finish?"

"Personal."

They listened to each other's breath until Lester broke the silence. "Make you a deal." He waited for her response and when none came he continued. "Meet me at the condo and I won't tell the others we've talked."

A harsh laugh sounded from Stephanie's end. "My mother may have raised me stupid, but I've learned a lot since then. You and the other boys taught me better than to fall for a set-up like that."

"How soon can you be there?" Lester ignored her comments.

"Give me forty-five minutes."

"If you're even one minute late, I'll tell the others; don't fuck with me on this, Steph," Lester warned.

"I'll be there," Stephanie shot back. "Damn it," she cursed and threw the phone down on the bed. Glancing at the wedding invitation, she narrowed her eyes. If any of them thought they were going to stop her, they would have to think again. Baratoli was going to pay for what he did, she'd see to that.

* * *

Rummaging through her suitcase, she pulled out shorts, socks and a t-shirt. Dressing in record time and banding her hair into a ponytail, she grabbed her sunglasses and her keys and then headed down the stairs, stopping at Harrison's office door.

"Harrison, I'd like to go for a short run first, if that's okay?" She held her breath that he wouldn't object or want to join her.

He looked at her. Maybe she did need to work off a little tension, it might help her focus on what they had to do tonight. "Make it short; we have a lot of information to cover."

Nodding her agreement, Stephanie turned and headed for the kitchen. Finding Bonnie there, an idea came into her head. "Bonnie, did you drive here?"

"Sure, why?" Bonnie stopped what she was doing at the sink and dried her hands.

"Would it be too much to ask if I borrowed your car for a little bit?" Stephanie crossed her fingers behind her back. "I need to run back over to the condo and I'd rather not take Harrison's car or the Harley."

"No problem," Bonnie handed her the keys.

Stephanie pulled into the parking lot and parked next to a black SUV. She locked the car and then hurried up the sidewalk to the front door.

She didn't have to search for Lester; he was waiting for her in the small dining room that Randy had transformed into an office. Pulling her gun out from behind her back, Stephanie aimed it at him.

"Get away from there, Lester," she said with a dead calm voice.

Surprise covered Lester's face. Stephanie wasn't sure if it was because she was pointing a gun at him or if it was from the set of blueprints he had been reading. She had brought a copy of the proposed revisions ordered by _The Bear_ to be done at the Coconut Grove Club for the wedding.

"Holy shit, woman, do you know what kind of trouble you're playing with?"

Stephanie pulled her breath in slow and steady, keeping her aim on him.

"Move away from the table, Lester. I won't tell you again." Lester raised his hands out to the side and backed away from the table. "I haven't got much time so you'd better start talking."

* * *

Sleeping in his car wasn't his idea of a restful night. Rubbing the kinks out of his neck, he thought about the two people who had gone into the condo, then reached inside the glove compartment and pulled out a small piece of paper. He stepped out of the car and stretched his legs, then walked over to the black SUV and the car the woman had arrived in and copied down the license plate numbers. Tucking the paper in his back pocket, he slipped his gun out of the back of his jeans. Looked like it was time he joined the party.


	21. Chapter 21

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 21**

Lester inched away from the table. He had no intention of challenging the determined woman standing in front of him pointing a gun at his chest.

"Stephanie, I want to help you."

"Help me?" her tone conveyed a strong amount of disbelief. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't need or want your help."

"Steph… there's something… I need to tell you," Lester glanced at the steady hold she had on her gun. Telling her about Ranger right now might not be the wisest move.

"Save it, Lester, the only thing I want you to tell me is Randy's location."

"He's at the RangeMan office downtown," Lester answered. "Little shit sure is loyal to you. Tank and Morelli hammered him with questions for over three hours; he still wouldn't tell them anything. He's a good friend, Steph. So am I." Lester's eyes reflected a flash of pain as they stared at each other.

Stephanie noticed the change in Lester's facial expression. "I know you are, Lester, but right now our friendship will have to be put aside; this is business."

"Seeking revenge isn't business, Steph, its foolish and in this case, certain death," Lester said.

Stephanie scoffed at his remark, "If I were seeking revenge, I'd kill his wife or daughter. This is his debt to pay."

* * *

"You gave her the keys to your car? What the hell were you thinking?" The sheer effort Harrison was making to control his anger caused his words to run together.

Bonnie took a small step back from him and raised her face. The last time she'd seen him react this way was after the death of his wife and daughter.

"I thought she was your guest, not your prisoner," Bonnie snapped. "Besides, she said she was just going to her condo to get some of her stuff and then she'd be back."

Harrison closed his eyes and drew in a long breath to calm his exasperation. Bonnie was right, Stephanie wasn't his prisoner; she was, however, a woman who was determined to go after one of the most powerful leaders of organized crime and make him pay for her lover's death. And he had just given her the time and the place to find her target.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie; I shouldn't have spoken to you that way," Harrison pulled the small woman into his arms and gave her a hug. "I'm… worried about her."

Backing out of his arms, Bonnie looked into his handsome face. "Then go find her."

Harrison gave a short laugh and headed for the garage. Starting his car, Harrison flipped on the small tracking device inside the glove box. Stephanie still wore the ring from last night and the ring contained a tracking element strong enough to track her inside a fifty-mile radius. He'd head for the condo, but just in case she'd decided to head off in another direction… he'd be able to find her.

* * *

The slight creaking of a floorboard beneath his foot as he took his last step announced of Jake's arrival. Stephanie stiffened at the sound, but before she could turn, he rendered her unconscious. He caught her limp body and lowered her down on the couch, keeping his gun aimed at Lester.

"What the fuck!" Lester said, raising his voice.

"I received a distress call last night, one that left me with more questions than I had answers for. Funny thing, I like having answers to all my questions."

"Why the hell did you knock her out?" Lester shifted his eyes to Stephanie's relaxed form.

"I think you can answer my questions and she sounded like she had some questions of her own. I wanted my questions answered first and I didn't think she'd agree." Jake's gun never wavered from Lester's chest as he sifted through the blueprints that Lester had dropped on the table. Arching an eyebrow, Jake shot a questioning look at Lester. "She planned this?"

"Yeah, crazy woman," Lester said with admiration.

"Crazy is right," he agreed as he stole a searching look in Stephanie's direction. "Is she the one you were looking for last night?" Lester nodded. "You need to work on the way you describe her to others; you should start out by stressing the beautiful part."

Lester allowed a small smile to break over his mouth. "Maybe you should wait and meet the conscious version."

"Well, as much as I'd enjoy it, that meeting will have to wait for another time. Right now you and I are going to go back to the bar and you're going to answer my questions."

"Shoot me if you have to, but I'm not leaving her here alone."

"She'll be fine and I will shoot you if you don't start moving."

Lester didn't move.

"Okay, maybe I should change my tactics. I'll shoot her if you don't start moving." Jake adjusted his aim, but braced for a charge from Lester. "Move."

Lester sighed in disgust and started moving.

* * *

The sporadic sounds of broken conversation seemed to come from a long distance away. She recognized the voice and understood the words as they drifted in and out of her mind, but she just couldn't seem to care enough to wake up. Maybe if she sat up? Trying it shot a sharp pain behind her eyes.

"Stephanie?" The voice sounded much closer this time. Her brain told her mouth to say yes but instead a painful groan slipped out.

"Who attacked you? Who did you meet? Who…"

"Harrison, quit hovering and go do what you have to do, I'll take care of her." Bonnie's voice was firm as she stepped in front of the man to take control. She replaced the wet washcloth draped over Stephanie's forehead with a fresh one. "Relax, dear. Everything's going to be okay."

"Make sure she doesn't leave your sight," Harrison's strong voice broke through the thick fog of Stephanie's mind.

"No!" Struggling to sit up, Stephanie was overcome by dizziness and nausea.

Bonnie was stronger than she looked and proved it by pressing Stephanie back down onto the bed. "Lie still."

"Where's he going?"

"He's going to meet Ben at one of their building sites. He'll be back in a couple of hours. Now…" Bonnie's next order was interrupted by the ringing of the phone on the nightstand next to Harrison's bed. Both of the women reached for it at the same time. Bonnie caught the other woman's hand and gently lowered it back down while using her other hand to pick up the phone. "Relax, dear, it's the house phone."

"Hello," Bonnie answered. A small frown formed between her eyebrows. "Yes, I remember you. I'm sorry you just missed him. Can I have him call you when he returns?" She listened in silence to the person on the other end of the call. "I'm not sure, let me check." Bonnie lowered the phone and whispered to Stephanie. "Do you and Harrison have plans for tonight?"

Stephanie nodded. Big plans. They needed to do some last minute surveillance of the Coconut Grove Club prior to tomorrow night's reception. Her double vision and the sharp pounding in her head were not going to stop her from finishing what she had set out to do.

"It seems that he has plans for tonight, but I don't think he'll be late," Bonnie said as she looked at the pale skin tone of Stephanie's face. "Fine, if you think that's best. Good-bye." Bonnie lowered the phone back down on the nightstand.

* * *

"You're really going to try and see Harrison?" Tank asked when Ranger hung up the phone.

Ranger nodded. "Something in the General's tone of voice makes me think his reasons are more than just wanting the two of us to mend our friendship."

Tank stood up and started gathering the blueprints of the Coconut Grove Club off the desktop. "Everything is ready for tonight."

"Think I'll let you do the job without me," Ranger said. "I want to meet Harrison face to face. Something tells me I'll learn more if I do this on a personal level."


	22. Chapter 22

**The next chapter of Payback will be posted on April 14th because of the holiday weekend. May and I will be spending it with family and friends. After today's post, there are only four more chapters to go! Please don't pout, besides, Saturday is my birthday and I plan on celebrating!**

**Thank you all so much! Happy Easter, everyone!**

**Marilyn**

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 22**

Her short strides were stretched to the max as she paced back and forth. She could feel the beginnings of a full-blown headache with each step. Lillie rubbed her temples, trying to ease the painful tightness as she continued to pace. What was taking him so long? How had events gotten so jumbled? Had someone else discovered her plan? Damn. If her mind came up with any more questions, Lillie was sure it would explode.

She stopped at her desk and reached into the lap drawer for the bottle of Advil. She popped two of the pills and followed with a chug of water to help them go down when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"It's me. Sorry, I wasn't able to call earlier," Jake apologized. "Plus I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Problem?" Lillie felt her frown deepening.

"Maybe; right now it's just a snag," Jake replied.

"Where are you?"

Casting a fleeting look at the man sitting in the passenger seat, Jake smiled at the pissed off stiffness of Lester's body. "On my way back to the bar, with my new friend."

"Good. I'll be waiting."

* * *

Ben rolled the long white paper up in his hands without bothering to look, the floor plans of the Coconut Grove Club cylindered tight inside his hands. "Are you planning on going out there?" Ben asked his boss.

"Yes," Harrison answered.

"Mind if I go with you?"

Harrison looked at Ben and shook his head. "From the look on your face, it wouldn't make any difference if I did."

Ben smiled and nodded. "Got that right, besides, it'll look better if you have me along as a security specialist."

"What gives you that idea?" Harrison asked with caution.

Ben tapped the rolled paper against his leg. "I'm not sure what kind of trouble has brought you out of your shell, but I'd be willing to guess our new friend with the sweet, sexy little ass has something to do with it."

A dry chuckle emitted past Harrison's lips, "Good guess, my friend."

Ben watched as Harrison stepped out from behind his desk and headed out of the office. Smiling as he followed his boss out the door, Ben was betting more than just his guess was damn good.

* * *

Stephanie opened her eyes again; she had lost count of how many times she had surfaced from her foggy naps. Shit, she couldn't believe how careless she had been. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself into a sitting position.

"Don't even think about it," Bonnie said in a soft tone as she came through the bedroom door.

Scoffing, Stephanie tried to run her fingers through her hair. "Don't worry; it hurts too much to think." She rubbed her fingertips over her head. "What the hell did they do to me?"

"What?"

"I don't feel any lumps or cuts, what the hell caused me to be unconscious?" Stephanie continued to rub her head.

"Oh, Harrison said something about a nerve pinching tactic. He said you'd be okay; just groggy for a few hours."

"Groggy my ass… if he thinks I won't be ready…" Stephanie stopped.

"Ready for what?"

"Never mind." Stephanie lowered her hands and rolled her shoulders, hoping to release some of the stiffness but experienced a new round of pain. "What time is it?"

Bonnie checked her wristwatch. "Five o'clock."

"What!" Stephanie yelled and then gasped with pain. Shit. "Get Harrison on the phone. Please."

* * *

Randy was tired and he was worried about Lillie. Damn, that woman had spunk. Just thinking about the way she had attacked Lester's leg brought a proud smile to his lips. Randy's spirits continued to rise as he thought about Lillie and his plans for Lester. Oh yes, he had big plans for Lester…

* * *

Ranger listened along with Morelli and Tank as Bobby gave them his report. "Baratoli is believed to be in town already, but so far, no one is talking about where. He's taking no unnecessary chances after escaping from Morelli's investigation."

Bobby pulled a white envelope from a small leather folder. "This will get you into the reception tomorrow."

Picking up the envelope, Ranger pulled the invitation out and skimmed over the details. "Good work, Bobby."

Joe reached over the top of the desk, holding out his hand for the invitation. "I believe that's for me."

Narrowing his eyes, Ranger frowned. "How do you figure that, Morelli?"

"Well, first of all, you're still dead. And second, look around the room. How many Italians do you see?" Joe waited. "As careful as Baratoli is being, there is no way a large unknown Cuban is going to make it through the door without creating suspicion. Me, well, I'll just be a distant relative," Joe grinned and waited for Ranger to admit that he was right.

Ranger handed over the invitation. "I'm hoping to have Stephanie back and in a safe place before she even gets near this event, but just in case, you better be sure she's kept out of harm's way." The two men stared at each other. "Otherwise, you'll find out how good I am."

"Oh, I'll take care of her," Joe smiled. "And do a much better job of it than you have so far." Joe stood and gave Ranger a sly, knowing look. "Manoso, I meant what I said. I want her back."

* * *

"Harrison?" Stephanie struggled to keep her voice civil.

"Feeling better?" Harrison heard the strain in her voice.

"Where are you?" She bit the words into the phone.

Harrison stalled a moment. "Ben and I are checking out the security at the Coconut Grove Club."

"You son of a bitch," Stephanie wanted to throw the phone, but instead she clutched it so tight that her knuckles turned white. "How dare you…"

"Let me talk to Bonnie," Harrison demanded.

"I'm not finished talking." Anger mixed with her words.

"You are if you want my help and if you want to join me." He could tell she was still furious, but at least she'd think now.

Without preamble, Stephanie handed the phone to Bonnie. "Hello, Harrison," Bonnie said as she watched Stephanie. "Sure, no problem. We'll be there as soon as she's ready." Bonnie disconnected the call.

"Harrison asked that I bring you down to his office, but he suggested that you shower and dress for dinner, that it would save time later." Bonnie studied the tense woman in front of her. "Are you okay, dear?"

Stephanie blew out a lung full of air. "Sorry, Bonnie. Yes, I'm okay." Walking in the direction of the bathroom Stephanie called over her shoulder. "I won't be long."

* * *

Shadows of early evening began to appear through the window of the small office. Lillie studied the two large men whose bodies occupied half of the cubic space inside the small room.

"Nice to know that, in a roundabout way, we're on the same side," she stated. "Now, we just need to figure out how your side is going to stay out of our way."

"Lady, believe me, you can do whatever you want to; all I want is to keep Stephanie out of trouble." As soon as he said the words, Lester shook his head. "If such a thing is possible," he muttered.

"Well, the first thing we need to do is arrange for Randy's release." Lillie directed her look in Lester's direction.

Sighing, Lester knew he had no choice in the matter. "I can arrange it."

"Thank you," Lillie smiled at him. "Now, let's get down to business."

* * *

Harrison watched her with his peripheral vision. Damn, she was beautiful… and right now, lethal. She was all business; listening to everything he had to say, memorizing all the details he and Ben had put together. She had been studying the building in silence for over thirty minutes from her seat in the car.

"Hungry?" Harrison asked. Distracted, Stephanie nodded her head, her eyes still trained on the building in front of them. Harrison's eyes were turned in her direction, captivated by the beauty of her profile. "Stephanie."

"What?" she answered, turning in his direction. "Oh, sorry; yeah, I'm starved."

Harrison looked into her blue eyes, wondering if she'd ever forgive him. Forgive him for keeping her safe from her own actions. Looking away, he realized it didn't matter; starting the car he pulled away from the curb. It didn't matter if she forgave him or not, the bottom line was she'd be safe from herself and from the law.

* * *

Ranger sat outside the gate to Harrison's home, waiting for someone to answer the bell. Bonnie had said that Harrison should be home right after dinner. No answer. Shit. Ranger would have left if it hadn't been for the feeling he got from the General's words. The old man wanted him to discover something, what he wasn't sure.

Well, whatever it was, Ranger was willing to give it one chance, but only one chance. Backing the car out of the driveway, he parked out on the street. Not wanting to drive back later, he decided to wait until Harrison came home.

The night sky darkened from navy to purple as if bruised by the day. Ranger's body was accustomed to sitting for long periods of time, but tonight he felt nervous. Was it because he wasn't sure how Harrison would react to this unannounced visit or was it the feeling he got from the General or was it something else?

Headlights appeared behind him. Ranger pushed all unanswered questions from his mind as he watched the steady approach of the car. The Jaguar slowed when it turned to pull into the driveway. One last gleam of the day's fading light broke through the clouds to reflect off the passenger's window.

Ranger's heart stopped… Stephanie.


	23. Chapter 23

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 23**

Ranger sat motionless long after the taillights of Harrison's car had disappeared from sight. How? Why? How had she located Harrison? Why was she with him? Shaking his head, Ranger managed to bring himself back under control. Just the shock of seeing her face had been enough to obliterate his control. He needed some answers before he stood face-to-face with her and tried to explain why he had done what he did. Bolstering his control with a deep breath, he reached for his cell phone and punched in Tank's number.

"Yo," Ranger spoke low and soft. "You can call off the search for Steph, I've found her."

"Where?" Tank asked, not liking the tone of his friend's voice.

"She's with Harrison."

Tank swallowed the groan that tried to leave his mouth, "How the hell did she hook up with him?"

Ranger ignored Tank's question, "Did you bring that new set of night binoculars we're supposed to test for the government?"

"Man, why don't you just face her head-on instead of spying on her?" Tank hissed into his phone.

Strained silence stretched between the two men for several heartbeats.

"I wish I could, but I need some answers first."

"Look, you've already fucked this up so bad that I'm not sure she'll give you the time of day to explain, let alone see you again," Tank was almost whispering into the phone. "She is not the Stephanie Plum you left in the parking lot that night."

Ranger heaved a heavy sigh. "I know, Tank, that's what's got me so scared, that's why I need some answers."

Tank had never heard Ranger use the word scared when it came to a woman. Now it was his turn to sigh. "The binoculars are locked up in the gun case under the back seat."

* * *

Harrison opened the car door for Stephanie. She hadn't spoken during the drive back to his house. "Steph," Harrison prompted when she made no move to get out of the car. She reached up to take his offered hand. With one flex of his arm, he lifted her from the deep leather car seat with ease and grace.

"Thank you," she said, but her eyes didn't meet his. Stepping back from him and the car, Stephanie waited to follow Harrison into the house.

As the door closed behind them, Harrison reset the security system and then turned his attention to Stephanie. She didn't bother to say good night as she walked through the kitchen and toward the hallway, her steps rigid with tension.

"Stephanie, wait." Harrison said. "I'd like to talk to you."

Turning to face him, Stephanie narrowed her eyes and squared her shoulders. "I'm not changing my mind. I will finish what I've started."

"It's not my intent to try and talk you out of anything; I just think it would be a good idea if you relaxed a little before tomorrow." Harrison came within reach of her. "Why don't you change, spend a little time in the hot tub?"

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "Looking for a repeat of last night?" The classic structure of Harrison's face stiffened. Stephanie willed herself not to take a step backwards.

"I find it incomprehensible that someone with your looks, strength and intelligence can cheapen themselves by assuming their sole worth is sexual. Oh, and for the record, if I want to have sex with a woman, I don't hint around, I ask." Harrison shook his head as he studied her face. "Do whatever you want."

He passed her with a brusqueness that left her regretting the snide words she had said. "Shit." Dropping her head back, Stephanie closed her eyes and struggled to recapture her composure. She heard Harrison close the bedroom door with more strength than necessary.

Stephanie trudged her way down the hall, pausing at the foot of the stairs. Harrison was right; she needed to relax, tomorrow was the big day. Damn, she hated to apologize. In her 'old' life, she was always apologizing; apologizing to her mother for not being married and not having 2.5 children; to Joe for being different from the normal Burg female; to the guys for being such a screw up at her job. The only person who had never expected an apology from her was Ranger.

Stephanie placed her right foot atop the first step and started ascending the twelve steps. "Sadistic bastard," she muttered as she climbed. "Twelve steps, my ass."

Knocking on Harrison's bedroom door, Stephanie waited for him to answer or open the door. When neither happened, she knocked again, louder. Still no answer. Concerned, Stephanie turned the doorknob, opening the door enough to listen. No sound of movement or the shower running, where was he? Swinging the door wide open, she stepped into the room. The clothes Harrison had been wearing were thrown across the bed. She caught sight of him through the sliding glass doors leading out to the balcony off the bedroom. He must have gone down the outside stairway so he wouldn't have to deal with her again.

Even in the soft darkness of night, she could see the strong masculine muscles of his body flex as he walked to the hot tub. The waving reflection of the underwater light sent quivering pale lines over his body as he stood on the edge of the pool. Captivated by the strong moves of his body, she watched as he lowered his body down into the bubbling water. Lost amid her appreciation, she was startled when her eyes connected with his. Stephanie turned away from the window, severing their visual connection.

If she had to apologize, she might as well do it in comfort, she thought as she crossed the hall to the guest room. She stripped and pulled on the small black bikini. Grabbing a towel from the bathroom, Stephanie retraced her steps back into the master bedroom and followed Harrison's path down to the hot tub.

* * *

Ranger sat with his back against one of the large Royal Palms that outlined the back of Harrison's property. So far his luck was holding out; the blueprint for the security system of Harrison's property on file at RangeMan seemed to be still in place. Lifting the binoculars to his eyes, Ranger trained them on the small area of light behind the house. With the new equipment, Ranger would be able to see the person and not a blob of body heat. Adjusting the focus and engaging the special night scope, the back of Harrison's head came into view. Following the rapid upward movement of Harrison's head, Ranger's breath caught in his throat. Stephanie stood in the window, looking down at Harrison. It wasn't until Stephanie's abrupt departure from the window that Ranger regained the use of his lungs. Lowering the glasses from his eyes, Ranger cursed himself for the uncountable time. This situation had to end and tonight was just fine with him.

Movement from the bedroom balcony drew Ranger's attention upward once again. Lifting the glasses back up to his eyes, he watched Stephanie's slow descent down the stairs to the patio. His grip on the black metal casing compressed hard enough to dent it. Her long bare legs filled his field of vision as she walked in the direction of the hot tub, stopping when she reached the side of the pool.

Unable to see her face, Ranger watched Harrison's eyes as they traveled up her body. Ranger wouldn't allow himself to imagine what was passing between the two. Harrison reached up to place a steadying hand on Stephanie's calf; she leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder for balance as she stepped down into the hot swirling water. Their touches appeared comfortable; touches that said their hands were already familiar with each other's skin.

* * *

She tried to us her hands to anchor her body's buoyancy against the hot swirling water, but her leg brushed against Harrison's. "Sorry."

Harrison twisted one eyebrow in question, not sure if she was apologizing for brushing against him or for her earlier outburst. He watched and waited for clarification.

"Sorry about my earlier remark." Stephanie's intent gaze never left the constant, frantic motion of the bubbles bursting against her chest. "You were right." She raised her head to look at him. "I'd also like to thank you for all the help and support you've given me."

Looking back at her, Harrison nodded his acceptance and then relaxed his head back and closed his eyes.

Stephanie allowed herself the luxury of watching Harrison as he lengthened his body into a more relaxing repose; as a result she felt a sudden tightness between her legs. Hoping to fight her body's urges, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the light swaying of her body. Tendrils of moist thick curls started to slip from the hurried ponytail she had tied back. She jerked in surprise when Harrison touched her ear as he attempted to loop a drooping curl behind it.

"Sorry," he said and lowered his hand, placing it on the curving junction of her neck and shoulder. The heat from his large hand softened some of the stress out of her muscles, a moan escaped from Stephanie's mouth and she dipped her head in the direction of his hand.

Without a word, Harrison placed his other hand on the opposite shoulder, turning her body away from him and began to knead the tight muscles in her neck with gentle motions. A melting sensation flowed through her body and she moaned again. She sagged back against his chest, enjoying the smooth, strong surface. Her body trembled with an involuntary shudder, causing a slight shift of her hips inside his parted thighs.

"Jesus, woman," Harrison's words seemed to drift through the moist air. He shifted his hold, placing one strong arm under her ass, the other hand still supporting her limp neck to reverse her body's position so they were face-to-face. Vapors of steam squeezed up and out of the small gaps between them like puffs of smoke, thickening the air around them. Each breath they drew was labored and ragged. The hot relaxing water churning around them, the thick moist air lining their airways, and the feel of the other one's closeness was nothing compared to the heat of their kiss as their lips came together. Tongues delving, tasting, and imitating the bold moves their hands had yet to start.

The light touch of his fingertips down her spine brought a shudder from her as Harrison's strong hands found their underwater destination. Cradling a half-bare cheek of her ass in each hand, he lifted her with a gentle squeeze until her legs separated to straddle his thighs.

Letting the natural buoyancy of her body and the swirling water set the pace, Stephanie ground her pelvis against Harrison's hard erection. Fisting her hands in his thick blond hair, she pulled his head back, exposing the side of his neck.

Dragging her breasts up over his chest, she nipped his earlobe with the edge of her front teeth. When the sound of pleasure rumbled through his chest, she changed directions and trailed the tip of her tongue down along the prominent vein in his neck. Feeling the strong, hammering beat of his pulse on her lips, Stephanie couldn't resist opening her mouth and sucking his hot, wet skin into her mouth.

"Upstairs," Harrison growled as he pulled her back from him, raising her just enough so he could bite down on one of her rigged nipples. "I want you in my bed." Stephanie legs clamped around his waist, her arms around his neck, marveling at the effortless way he carried her across the lawn and up the stairs.

* * *

Ranger lowered the binoculars and stood. Oh yes, he thought, tonight was the perfect time to put a stop to this shit. With stealth precision, he advanced in the direction of his prey.

* * *

Harrison reached the bed in two long strides, their eyes locked and hungry.

Stephanie lowered her legs to slide down his body, forcing small trickles of water to run down their legs. As she stood in front of him, she pulled her nails down his chest, groaning as she stopped to play with his nipples. In a heartbeat, he had her on the bed, covering her wet body with his own. Stephanie slid her hands up the straining muscles in his arms, continuing around to clasp the back of his neck. She raised her slender legs and curled them around his waist. As she pulled Harrison's mouth down to hers, he began to stroke his hard length up and down her throbbing hot center again and again. Blood heated by desire pounded in their ears.

Harrison pulled the small piece of fabric off one of her breasts and bit her nipple hard enough to evoke a load moan from her as he swung his gun around and aimed it at the intruder. "Stop or I'll kill you."

The sound of Stephanie moaning under another man's touch destroyed every trained reaction Ranger had ever known. He stood still, his gun useless at his side.

"Babe."

Stephanie's heated blood turned to ice, it couldn't be…


	24. Chapter 24

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 24**

Harrison launched off the bed in the direction of the voice. Stepping from the shadows, Ranger stood relaxed, almost inviting the oncoming attack of his old friend.

"Stop!" Stephanie shouted. Both men obeyed, halting their forward motions of aggression, but their eyes remained locked on each other, fingers still on the triggers. She rose from the bed and tugged her top back up to cover her breast. She stood for a moment staring at Ranger. With unhurried steps, she approached the two men. Ranger fought to keep his eyes trained on Harrison instead of watching her. By stepping between the two men Stephanie forced Ranger to look at her, then she paused, not wanting to close the distance between them until Ranger's full attention was focused on her.

Searching his face with eyes blurred with tears, she lifted a shaking hand to touch his clenched jaw. With her other hand she traced his lips with the tips of her fingers. Ranger pursed his lips to kiss them.

Stephanie's eyes closed for a second and then reopened as she laced her fingers through the silky hair at the back of his neck.

Pressing her body hard into his, she felt the dampness of her swimsuit leach into Ranger's dry clothes. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him hard, taking possession of his mouth with her tongue. Ranger didn't fight his heart's response and drew their bodies even closer.

Stephanie's body meshed in perfect seduction with his. With a catch in her breath, she drew her pelvis back and forth over Ranger's growing erection. Breaking the kiss, she pulled away with agonizing slowness until she could see his face. Tears slid down her cheeks.

"I can't believe it. You're alive," Stephanie whispered as her eyes searched his face in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," Ranger whispered back. The two lovers stood gazing at each other as if drugged.

With a flash of unexpected speed, Stephanie brought her knee up, smashing Ranger in the groin. As his head lowered in pain, she bent her elbow and swung it into his face, crushing his nose.

"Correction, you're one sorry bastard. You broke my heart, you son of a bitch!"

Turning, Stephanie fled for the solitude of the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Harrison had remained quiet throughout their reunion, but as soon as the bathroom door had slammed shut, he started laughing. "She's right. You are one sorry bastard for lying to a woman like that; stupid too." He slipped the safety back on his gun and stepped around his hurting friend. "Little word of advice; put your balls back where they belong and get your sorry ass out of here before she comes out." Harrison pointed at the bathroom. "Oh, and don't bleed on my carpet." Harrison smiled as he walked out of the room, leaving Ranger alone gasping in pain.

* * *

Stephanie rested her back against the closed door and slid down until she sat on the floor. Drawing her legs up, she laid her forehead down on her knees, wrapping her arms around her lower legs. She pulled herself into a tight ball as the cold tile chilled her butt. He was alive. Ranger was alive. All the composure and strength she had displayed in front of him was gone and replaced by myriads of emotions; anger, hurt and betrayal being the strongest. She cried in silence.

* * *

Harrison had changed into dry clothes and was sitting at the desk in his office, staring into the amber liquor that filled the bottom third of the glass he held in his hand. Choosing to ignore the fact that Ranger had entered the room, Harrison remained motionless. Without preamble or eye contact, he pointed at the whiskey decanter with his glass. Ranger helped himself and then sank with great care into one of the leather chairs. Neither man moved except to lift their glasses to their lips, sipping some of the bitter liquor into their mouths.

The faint sound of running water floated down the stairs, echoing off the walls around the silent room. With each reverberation, the tension grew thicker. Harrison reached out for the decanter to refill his glass. Ranger copied the other man's motions. Both men appeared to be contemplating the contents of their glasses, each seeking their own answers.

Stephanie wasn't sure how long she had been standing in the shower. Despite the hot water spraying on her body, she still felt frozen inside. Why had he done it? Now what? Did he expect her to act as if nothing happened? The mental labyrinth of questions overpowered any chance of reasonable thought. Impossible questions seeking impossible answers. The only possible solution filtering through the confused space of her mind was… walk away. She left the water running as she stepped out of the shower. She tiptoed across the bathroom floor, stopping to listen at the door before she opened it and stepped out.

Harrison's eyes delved into the vortex of the swirling liquor. "Why?" He asked without looking at the other man.

"Fear. Love."

The scoff of Harrison's laugh brought Ranger's eyes up to his face. "You forgot stupidity." Harrison added.

"That too," Ranger conceded with reluctance.

The two men lapsed back into silence, each returning their concentration to their glasses. Restlessness forced Ranger to lift the glass to his lips, empting it in one swallow.

"She's one hell of a woman," Harrison lamented.

Nodding his head, Ranger agreed. "It's going to be tough."

"What? Winning her back?" Harrison asked in disbelief.

Ranger nodded his answer.

Harrison released a loud laugh. "You're sitting there with a busted nose and swollen nuts and you think she's going to give you a second chance?" A second roar of laughter overtook Harrison.

Ranger waited until Harrison was finished and then with wholehearted conviction said, "She's more than worth it and… I love her."

It was Harrison's turn to nod. "You were right." He met Ranger's eyes and saw the lifted eyebrow. "About Victoria." Before continuing he, too, drained his glass. "If I had taught her how to be aware of her surroundings, maybe she…" Harrison's voice trailed off.

Both men fell silent again. Time passed; too much time. Harrison looked at his watch and then stood. "I think I'd better check on Stephanie. And just for the record my friend, I'll be watching and if there is one hint, just one hint, that I'd have a chance at being there for her, I'll take it."

* * *

Dressed, but carrying her shoes, Stephanie slipped unobserved out of Harrison's bedroom. Hiding in the shadows on the balcony, she slipped on her running shoes then made her way down the stairs.

Bending over, Stephanie dodged from shadow to shadow as she made her way to the gate. Unsure if she should risk going through the gate or trying to climb over it, Stephanie paused, wiping the nervous perspiration from her forehead. Shit, might as well leave the way she'd come; with that decision, she punched in the security code. As soon as the gate's opening was wide enough for her to squeeze through, she was gone.

Without considering which way would be best, she started running. She wasn't sure where she was going or what she was going to do; but the one thing she did know was that she could not face Ranger right now. The thick humid air soon forced her breathing to become labored, slowing her run down to a fast walk.

Still trying to stay hidden by shadows, Stephanie reached the end of the street and turned left. All she needed to do now was go a couple more blocks and find a pay phone, call a cab and then what? Shit, she was back at square one.

Her eyes had adjusted to the night's darkness; from the corner of her eye she saw a car pull to an abrupt stop. She took off running, not waiting for the driver of the car to open the door. Damn, she sure wasn't in Trenton, no open backyards or alleys to run through. Here, everyone had gates and security systems forcing her to stay close to the road. This time when the car approached her, the driver didn't bother to stop. He just lowered his window and drove on the wrong side of the street keeping pace with her.

"I take it the reunion didn't go well," the driver spoke loud enough to be heard over her panting and the engine.

Stephanie continued to run, but slower.

"Just because he's a stupid fuck doesn't mean you have to be one, too."

Stephanie stopped and shot a piercing look at the driver.

"Look, get in. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

"Throw me your phone first," Stephanie ordered.

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust you anymore than I trust those two," she answered jerking her thumb back over her shoulder in the direction of Harrison's house.

"Catch."

Stephanie kept her eyes on the man and let the phone hit the ground. Still watching him, she moved her foot in the direction of the phone. When her toe nudged the small plastic object, she raised her foot and brought it down hard, smashing the phone into several small pieces.

"Now give me your gun." Stephanie didn't expect him to turn his gun over to her, but what the hell? When the butt of his gun appeared at the open window and dropped to the ground with a dull thud, she hesitated and then reach down to pick it up, keeping her eyes on the man.

"Now, are you going to get in or not?" he asked.

Stephanie wasted no time in circling the front of the car and hopping in the passenger side. The car was moving as soon as she had the door closed.

"Anywhere special?" he asked.

"No, just drive," she answered, settling back in the seat. She needed to think.

They drove without speaking. Several times, Stephanie caught the worried glances he threw in her direction. Right now she found it easy to ignore him. After an hour, Stephanie still hadn't reached a firm decision.

"Take the next exit," she instructed him and the car left the freeway in a smooth right turn.

"Pull in here." Stephanie pointed at the closest gas station.

Parking to the side of the station, Tank cut the engine. "Now what?"

"Now you give me the keys and your cash," Stephanie said without blinking.

Tank stared at her in surprise. "My gun, my phone, my car and my money? You're close to either being arrested or being somebody's wife."

Stephanie snorted a short laugh. "Hell, I intend to commit murder tomorrow. Car theft and armed robbery seem a little tame in comparison. And marriage is not on my agenda."

Tank handed her the keys and several bills held snug in a RangeMan money clip plus his black American Express card.

"Thanks." Stephanie looked into worried dark eyes. "I appreciate this, Tank. "Please, just give me a few hours to figure this out."

"I'll give you eight hours, but that's all," Tank said, pointing a thick finger at her. "Just promise me that you won't run away."

Searching her heart for the answer, Stephanie watched as the level of worry increased in his eyes. "I promise."


	25. Chapter 25

**PAYBACK**

**Chapter 25**

Hidden safe and out of sight on top of a high-rise over a mile away, he lifted his field scope and adjusted the lens until the luxury condos across the street came into clear vision. Sweeping the scope up and down the street, he counted over fifteen undercover cop cars. Must be hell for the poor bastards to watch the bad guys and not being able to make a single arrest. Just proved his way was better. Kicking back into a more comfortable position, he reached down to pick up his bottle of water.

The next few hours passed without a problem and then just before the last rays of sunshine dipped below the horizon, Baratoli emerged from the building with a bodyguard on either side. Sitting up straight, his body coursing with adrenaline he watched unblinking as the two bodyguards stepped away from the man known as _The Bear_.

As he entered the back seat of the limousine, his driver closed the door. With that one simple action, the car imploded. Jake lowered his field scope and smiled: payback for Lillie's parents. Lillie had planned everyday for the last year on how to get her payback. Tonight, her plan came to a successful conclusion. _The Bear_ would not be attending his daughter's wedding tomorrow. Whistling the theme song to _The Godfather_, Jake departed from his hiding place, a place free of any evidence.

* * *

Striding into the conference room at RangeMan Miami, Lester flipped the television on to CNN. The screen filled with the exciting activities outside of a posh Miami high-rise. The attention of every man in the room focused as the newscaster brought them up-to-date on the apparent murder of Anthony Baratoli, a/k/a _The Bear,_ outside of the condo of his mistress. Lester watched the faces of the others in the room as they absorbed the information. His eyes rested on Ranger. Smiling, Lester flipped the television off.

"I take from your appearance that Stephanie knows you're alive." Lester's voice carried a note of pleasure in it. "Would have been better if she had shot your lying ass."

Switching his gaze to Tank he asked, "Where is she?"

Tank shook his head. "I told her I'd give her eight hours to sort through the pile of shit we've thrown at her."

Shoulder to shoulder Ranger; Joe, Harrison and Lester formed an angry wall in front of Tank. Tank sighed.

"Wait!" yelled Bobby as he grabbed the last bottle of scotch and a glass from the bar and pulled one of the chairs back against the wall before sitting down. "Okay."

"Calm down," Tank said, trying to defuse the human bomb standing in front of him. "She's safe and she deserves some private time." He waited, not sure whether he'd have to fight them all or if they'd listen to him. Watching the faces of the men accepted his words; Tank released a sigh of relief. "Besides, I gave her my money clip that has the tracking device in it. She's been tracked and watched ever since I picked her up outside of Harrison's."

"Damn, and I had a ringside seat." Bobby shook his head.

Lester grunted in Bobby's direction and then turned back to Tank. "Call me when she's back. I want to see her," he said as he left the room.

Joe glared at Tank. "You're sure she and her little sidekick had nothing to do with that?" Joe motioned toward the television with his head.

"Positive," Tank said. "Their plans were focused on tomorrow's wedding reception."

Harrison nodded in agreement. "Her only place of attack was at the reception. Besides, she wanted to kill him face to face."

Ranger's body became a blur as he attacked Harrison. The floor shook as the two large men clashed. Tank waited a second before attempting to break the two apart.

Joe walked over to stand by Bobby. "See, I knew this was a good idea," Bobby saluted with his glass.

"You son of a bitch, you were going to let her go through with it?" Ranger struggled to free himself from Tank's iron grasp.

Standing, but clutching his side, Harrison's eyes blazed at Ranger. "No, I wasn't going to let her go through with it." Harrison coughed. "I figured it was safer for her to think I was going along with her, safer to keep her close to me. No way would I let her go through with it. I owed you that."

Through the stillness that had settled over the room a voice said, "Doesn't anyone tell me the truth anymore?"

* * *

Lillie opened the door to Randy's van and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Busy?" she asked with a bright smile.

He flicked a quick glance in her direction before his eyes returned to his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'll be finished in a minute."

"What are you doing?" Lillie asked, amazed at the speed and the unerring accuracy of his typing.

"Killing someone," Randy answered.

"Well, must be our lucky day," Lillie whispered and then kissed him on the cheek.

"How's that?" Randy asked.

"We both committed murder on the same day!" Lillie giggled. She'd have to tell him how Jake had helped in settling the score between her and _The Bear_ for murdering her parents.

Randy stopped and looked at Lillie. "Somehow, I get the feeling you killed someone a lot more dead than I am."

Lillie gave him her little woman smile. "Justifiably."

* * *

Stephanie had sat still, listening to all the details of Ranger's 'death' followed by all his pleas for forgiveness. All in all, the heart-wrenching experience had been reduced down to just a little over two hours.

"Steph, aren't you going to say anything?" Joe asked.

Shaking her head, Stephanie looked at her hands folded in her lap. "No." Standing, with her hands unfolded at her side she looked at Joe. "I'd like to get some sleep first."

"I'll take you back to my place." Harrison started to rise from the table.

"No!" Ranger would fight every man in the room twice before he let that happen. "She can stay here."

"Sorry guys, I'm going back to the condo. Alone. Tank promised me time to think things through and that's what I'm going to do." Stephanie said with a tone that left no room for debate. She turned to leave the room.

"Stephanie," Lester called after her. She turned to look at him. "May I go with you?"

Stephanie searched his face for a hidden meaning other than wanting to be a friend. Reassured by what she saw, she nodded yes.

Ranger dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his face. Coming up behind him, Joe leaned down and whispered into his ear. "Looks like you're royally fucked, my man." Smiling, he straightened up, stretched and announced he too was going to get some sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

I wish I could scream THANK YOU loud enough for each and everyone of you to hear me, but I can't, so I'll have to ask each of you to shout it for me! In all the many, many years that I have been involved with various versions of Plum Fanfic, I have never, ever experienced such _**wonderful**_ readers and reviewers, no matter who the author might have been, and I know a few of the good ones.

I have to thank Kevan, Linda, Dee, Ruth and Lisa… but most of all, my best friend,

**May**

Without her, this story would never have been posted for you to read. This chapter is for her… love you, Babe!

Hey, May? You think anyone really screamed _thank you?_

**PAYBACK **

**Chapter 26**

_Six weeks later…_

Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to pull her boots on. She'd been staying at Harrison's house for the last six weeks and Randy had been staying at Lillie's. Over dinner last night, Randy had told her that he was planning on staying in Miami. She wished him well. Randy's announcement had started her thinking that maybe it was time for her to head home and start trying to put her life back together, if there was a life still waiting for her in Trenton.

Skipping down the stairs, she paused one step from the bottom and smiled, thinking how pissed off those twelve simple steps had made her when she first encountered them. Maybe there was something to the twelve-step method of putting your life back together after all. As her foot stumbled on the last step she reevaluated that thought, maybe not. It was going to take more than twelve steps to solve the problems in her life. Hell, the decisions she had to make regarding Ranger alone could require twelve flights of stairs.

Bonnie was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. "Morning, Bonnie," Stephanie gave the woman a quick hug. "Did you hear from Harrison?"

"Just a brief message from him and one from Lester," Bonnie giggled.

"What?" Stephanie smiled at the woman as she poured her own cup of coffee.

"Harrison said to give you a kiss, be safe and he'll be back soon. But, it seems Lester's run into a little problem," Bonnie tried to keep from laughing.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow as she took her first sip of coffee.

"It seems that Lester is dead and all of his charge cards and money are frozen." Bonnie's laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Stephanie spurted coffee out of her mouth. "What?!?" She couldn't help but smile as she watched Bonnie struggle to regain her composure.

Giving up, Bonnie walked to the kitchen counter and pressed the button on the answering machine.

"Stephanie!" Lester angry voice shouted from the machine. "You tell that little motherfucker that he'd better resurrect me or he'll wish I was dead!" The sharp sound of a phone closing ended the message.

Stephanie looked wide-eyed at Bonnie. "I guess Randy hasn't forgiven Lester for interrupting his little night of passion and dragging the two of them down to RangeMan for questioning," Stephanie's voice trailed off into a peal of laughter.

The two women slowly stopped laughing and settled into a sad quietness over the kitchen table. "So, you're really leaving today?" Bonnie's voice was quiet.

Stephanie nodded her head without looking up.

"Well, in that case, I've got one piece of advice to give to you." Bonnie waited until Stephanie looked up at her. "Men don't change. You either accept them the way they are or you don't." The two looked at each other. "I didn't learn that until it was too late."

Both finished their coffee and both said what needed to be said. Stephanie rose and hugged Bonnie. "Thank you for everything. You've been wonderful." Stephanie brushed a tear from her eye as she leaned down to pick up her small travel bag. Looping it over her shoulder, she gave the woman who had become a true friend a loving embrace.

Bonnie wrapped her arm around the younger woman's waist and walked with her toward the garage door. "Take care of yourself, Stephanie."

Stephanie responded with a quick nod and a lift of her eyebrow. After one last hug, she climbed on the Harley and revved the engine.

Pulling out of Harrison's driveway, Stephanie looked in her rearview mirror. A small smile crossed her lips as she saw Ranger pulling out behind her. He had been there every morning to follow her to the beach and then back to the house. At first she'd been angry, but then she began to look forward to his company. She and Ranger had been talking every day over the past six weeks, sorting through their issues. Each day she was becoming a little more comfortable with him.

Steering the Harley in the now familiar direction to the beach, Stephanie allowed her thoughts to drift, fragments of their conversations floating in and out of her mind.

"I'm sorry."

"You lied to me."

"Please, forgive me."

"You lied to me."

"You tried to kill yourself!"

"You lied to me."

"You slept with him!"

"You lied to me."

"I'm sorry."

Stephanie put her foot down solidly on the blacktop as she slowed the bike to a halt at a stop sign. If this conversation played in her head all the way back to Trenton, it was going to be a very long trip.

She turned the bike in the direction of the ocean. She had come to value the mornings she'd spent at the shore thinking and the peacefulness that seemed to settle over her.

_Stephanie's final reflections_

She stared down at the rounded toes of her boots. The black leather was scuffed and worn, no longer shiny and new. Anyone looking at her boots would judge them to be much older than they were. She watched as the water ebbed up and back, lapping at their thick lugged sole. The occasional droplet of salt water caused the scuffed leather to darken and shine almost like new upon its landing.

Watching the tide, Stephanie was reminded how it too was just another one of nature's natural happenings. Time and nature changed everything. The smile that appeared across her mouth was small but firm, another one of life's changes. Before, her smile had been more open, free to friends and strangers alike. Now, she was cautious in using any facial expression.

As she lifted her face to look out over the vast expansion of azure water, her eyes darkened to match. She wasn't sure what her life would be like once she returned to Trenton or if she'd stay once she returned. Everything about Stephanie Plum had changed over the last year, even her love for Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Without being under his protective watch, she'd learned how to survive in the dark shadows of life.

She now understood why his life was so private and his manner so cautious. The one fear left inside her was the fear that Ranger might not be able to accept her walking beside him as his partner. She knew he would have accepted the old Stephanie, but she had changed in ways that even a man as dark as Ranger might find hard to accept. Any balance he might have sought from her former company had been forever compromised. No longer would she be the light to his dark or the good to his bad.

Well, if he couldn't accept the new 'Babe', then she'd move on. She was strong enough, no longer anyone's fool. Besides, Miami was warm in the winter.

The sharp squawk of a seagull drew her eyes upward to watch the bird's graceful glide as it rode an air thermal. Again, the now guarded smile appeared as she watched another example of one of nature's scavengers transformed into a thing of beauty. At least she hoped so. Raising her head higher to watch the gull's flight, the ocean breeze wrapped around her neck and waved her long loose auburn curls into the breeze. Feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, Stephanie allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. Shutting herself off from her surroundings was something she seldom felt comfortable doing anymore, but right now at this moment, she felt safe. She knew he was watching over her. The familiar tightening in her stomach and the fluttering of her heart told her so. No matter what, she would always love him. As he said, 'mine'.

Inhaling the salt air, she braced herself for the world she would face when she turned around. Showing no concern for the degree of wetness her boots were suffering, Stephanie turned away from the ocean and walked forward, ready to face whatever life blew in her direction…

_**The End**_


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